Altering Fate
by SaruXIII
Summary: Naruto loses everything that he holds dear. What will he do when faced with such devastation? Will he crumble? Or will he rise above it? TIME TRAVEL.
1. ACT I Part 1: Pleased to Meet You

**A.N. My shot at an AU story. Just so you know, this will be a time-travel fic, and because the manga is changing so much at the time of my writing, some things will not match up to canon(When Obito's back story was revealed, I had to rework the whole first part of this chapter). Constructive criticism is appreciated. **

**Warning: For those of you have read my previous work, some of the content of this story may shock you. It's A LOT darker than what I usually write. You have been warned.**

**On another note, before I get reviews telling me to use the proper lingo, let me point out that I'm an American. As such, I speak English, so I will be following English rules when I'm writing this story. For example, I am going to say Naruto Uzumaki, not Uzumaki Naruto. I will also be staying away from honorifics such as chan, kun, san, etc. . .The only Japanese you will see in here will be the names and the occasional jutsu like Rasengan or blood-line limits such as Sharingan and Byakugan. Nothing against Japanese, but I've got enough to think about without adding in all of their rules as well. I'm sorry if this puts a bee in anyone's bonnet.**

**Also, this chapter switches POV a lot. Sorry if that's a bit disorienting, but I'm only doing it to cover everything that's going on in Konoha. I won't be shifting characters as much in later chapters, just bear with me.**

**Finally, I am borrowing a character from another world in this chapter. Brownie points, and a shout-out, to any reader who can tell me who it is and where he is from. I'm going to explain exactly who he is and where he's from in the AN of the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any other copyrighted things inside this story.**

OoOoOoOoOo

Chapter 1: Pleased to Meet You

"Are you sure that it's okay for you to sneak out of the office like this?" the pink-haired woman asked, picking up her step to keep up with the blond walking on her left. The path they were walking on was completely deserted, as no one came out to this part of the forest very often. It was a nice change after the excited mass of people preparing for the festival in Konoha.

"Of course, Sakura! I am the Hokage, ya know. I kinda make the rules." He chuckled and switched the basket he was carrying in his right hand to his left, "Besides, I think a shadow clone is more than capable of handling a few stacks of paperwork while I take my wife out on a picnic. It's a special occasion after all." Reaching out, he grasped her hand with his free one.

Sakura shrugged, "If you say so. After all, I'm not the one who's going to be screamed at when Lady Tsunade finds out."

"Nah, I don't think Grandma will have anything to say about it. After all, she wasn't exactly known for her work ethic at the tower."

"If you think that will stop her from getting pissed, you've forgotten who you're talking about."

Naruto chuckled, "Yeah, you've got a point. But a little lecture is well worth spending the whole day with you for a change."

Laughing, Sakura squeezed his hand affectionately, "My knight in shining armor."

Naruto set the basket down carefully and dropped to one knee in front of her. "Now let us be off, my fair maiden, as I have found us a hidden sanctuary in these dangerous woods that is sure to protect us from the slave-driving council leader!"

"Whisk me away, Sir Knight!" She began giggling uncontrollably as he handed her the basket and scooped her up in his arms. With the pink-haired woman held securely in his arms, Naruto ran full speed towards the clearing where they had planned to spend their evening.

OoOoOo

"It really is amazing, isn't it?" Sakura asked, stowing the remains of their meal back into the basket. Above her, the bright sky had deepened to a navy blue.

"What?" Naruto replied from where he lounged opposite to her.

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Don't play dumb, Naruto. I know you've been thinking about what happened."

Propping himself up on one arm, Naruto smiled at her, "I guess I have been. It's hard to believe what happened all those years ago."

"Five years, to be exact. You better get ready to stop another evil tyrant soon, or people will begin to forget what a legend you are," Sakura teased. Flicking the sole of his bare foot she added, "And get those things away from my basket, I don't want my next picnic to smell like your dirty feet."

As Naruto pulled his feet back, a firework exploded in the distance, creating a kaleidoscope of colors in the starry sky and briefly illuminating the village below. "Look, the festival is starting. I didn't realize it was that late." He sat up and slid over so that he was sitting next to her. She immediately leaned her head against his shoulder, and smiled as another firework exploded. "Beautiful," the blond whispered, wrapping his arm around his wife's shoulders.

"They are, aren't they? I just love fireworks."

"I wasn't talking about the fireworks, Mrs. Uzumaki." Naruto was so close that his breath tickled her neck, sending a shiver up her spine. "And earlier...I wasn't talking about how I kicked Obito's ass, that's really not that hard to believe."

Sakura turned towards her husband just in time to see his face illuminated by another flash of light. "Oh? Then what's so hard to believe?"

"It was five years ago today that I kissed the most beautiful woman in the world for the first time."

Sakura's face flushed, "Well, we don't want to break a tradition, do we?" She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek. "There, now we can enjoy the rest of this firework show in-" She stopped talking as his strong fingers gently grabbed her chin and tilted her head back up.

"Don't tease me now, Sakura," he whispered huskily, pressing his mouth against hers. Their tongues danced together for close to a minute, before Naruto pulled back, panting.

Sakura shoved him over and straddled his waist, "Oh, come on, fox boy, you've gotta do better than that!" She leaned down and kissed him softly on the jaw, "Now," she whispered, "Don't make me do all the work." Her mouth was on his again, catching his lower lip gently between her teeth. Naruto's arms wrapped around her torso, pressing her body tightly against his own, and rolled over so that he was on top.

"Oh, don't worry. I wouldn't dream of it."

They made love under the stars as fireworks of every color exploded above them. It was the perfect night, and they basked in blissful ignorance as their bodies seemed to meld into one. Nothing foreshadowed what tragedies awaited them in the coming hours, and it was just as well, because there was nothing they could have done to stop the night's events from unfolding. Some things cannot be stopped.

OoOoOo

_Two figures stood opposite to each other. One was dark-haired, the other light-haired. One had a pair of mismatched eyes, the other vivid blue. One was evil, the other good. They were opposites in every way, and they were on opposite sides in this battle. _

_Both were weary from hours of fighting, but neither would stop. They lunged at each other again, one seeming to blur-in-and-out of existence, the other carried by a streak of yellow light. They clashed in mid-air, exchanged a few blows, then bounced back._

"_Stop this, Obito!" Naruto pleaded, circling around the other man._

_The dark-haired man mirrored his movements, keeping the blond in his sight. "This is the only way to bring peace to this world. I will not stop until I have achieved that goal!" Obito lunged forward, throwing a punch at Naruto's head. _

_Batting the blow aside, Naruto retaliated with kick that met with nothing but air as Obito sent his midsection into another dimension to avoid the blow. "Kakashi told me about you! You used to be a good man. I don't know what happened to change you, but please try to remember what you used to be like!"_

_Obito slammed his hands on the ground, causing the earth to erupt into dozens of jagged spikes. "Kakashi is a fool and my old self is dead! Idealism won't save this world, action will!"_

_Naruto danced around the spikes as they popped up from the ground. He bounced off the last one, propelling himself towards his opponent, a Rasengan spinning in his right hand. He brought it down on Obito's head, but again met with nothing but air as the other man allowed part of his body to fade out of existence. The ground shattered as the ball of chakra slammed against it, throwing up a storm of dust from the barren waste land._

_Obito cursed as his vision was obscured by the cloud. A moment later, his breath was forced from his lungs as Naruto's foot made contact with the Uchiha's gut. They once again jumped away from each other._

"_This isn't what Rin would have wanted!"_

_Obito's face contorted with rage. "Don't you dare speak of her as if you knew her! I've had enough! It's time to end this!" _

"_I couldn't agree more!" The voice that screamed this was Naruto's, but it came not from the man standing in front of Obito, but from behind him. Pain shot through Obito's body like a bolt of lightning as a shadow clone slapped a seal on the back of his neck._

_The disfigured man fell to his knees, unable to support his weight on a pair of legs that felt like water. "What the hell did you do to me?"_

_Naruto walked around from behind the other man. "Just a simple seal, but effective nonetheless. It jumbles the electric pulses from your nervous system. Don't worry, it's not permanent, I just need you still for a few minutes." Naruto bit his right thumb and pressed the bleeding digit against Obito's forehead. With his other hand, he began forming several different signs._

_A deep cold set into Obito, seeming to leak in from the spot that the jinchuuriki was touching him. Drawing on his deep reserves of chakra, Obito began to fight Naruto with all his strength. "Release me, you fool. I am going to be the leader of this world! Obey me!"_

_Beads of perspiration began to build on Naruto's brow as he met with Obito's resistance. The pace at which he formed the signs increased, his fingers becoming a blur of motion. His breathing changed, becoming ragged and uneven as he continued to fight Obito's chakra. Bit by bit, he pushed the other man back, until, with a last surge of energy, he broke past the defenses and set his seal into motion._

_Obito began screaming as his eyes erupted into pure agony. "You demon brat! Stop!"_

_Naruto's hand fell from Obito's head, leaving a single smear of blood. "It's over, Obito."_

_Hands covering his eyes, Obito began shaking his head back and forth. "No! Give them back! This world will continue to wallow in the muck if I don't save it!"_

_A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed quickly by the boom of thunder. A sudden deluge of rain followed soon after, dousing them in seconds.. "You can't fight anymore. I've taken your sight, Obito, and with it, I've taken not only your Sharingan, but your Rinnegan as well."_

_Obito swung a blind fist, "I'll fucking kill you! Give me back my eyes!"_

"_I still think there is good in you, Obito. But there is an evil inside you as well, stronger than anything I've ever felt. I have rooted the seal into this evil, and if you truly change, then your sight will be restored." Naruto fixed the other man with a cold look. "That being said, you have caused the deaths of many good people in this senseless war, so I am only going to warn you once." Kneeling down, Naruto grabbed a fistful of Obito's hair, wrenching his head back painfully. "If I see you anywhere near this village again, I will personally kill you." He released his grip and stood back up. "I've given you a chance. Take it." Naruto turned away from the broken man in front of him and vanished in a flash of yellow light._

_His hands still covering his eyes, Obito threw his head back and screamed._

OoOoOo

Naruto opened his eyes a crack, the last images of his dream still burning in his mind. It was dark, but he made out the crop of Sakura's pink hair next to him. He rolled over and hugged her naked body to his chest. Her hand unconsciously came up and gripped his between her breasts. It wasn't long before Naruto had once again drifted off into sleep.

OoOoOo

_Blackness. Naruto saw only blackness. A dark so consuming that it invaded his very soul and replaced his blood with ice. He slowly became aware of screaming. The voice was filled with pain and anger, but its words were incomprehensible. Naruto tried to pinpoint its location but it seemed to be coming from everywhere at once._

"_. . . I said get out!" The voice was faint but it carried conviction._

_The whole world seemed to shake as a voice answered, "**Who me? Half this body is mine, I've got as much a right to be here as you.**"_

_Naruto's body began to tremble at the sound of the voice. The sound of it could not described. It made him want to run as far away as he could. He tried to move, but his legs had turned into lead._

"_. . . You said what we were doing was the right thing! You were wrong. I'm done with you!"_

_The other voice laughed. "**Now that isn't very nice. It's not my fault you can't do anything right.**"_

"_. . . If you refuse to leave. . .Than I will seal us both away. I know it won't kill you, but it will sure as hell set your plans back a few centuries."_

_There was a pause, the silence of which was almost worse than the sound of that horrible voice. "**Very well, Obito. I shall vacate the premises at once. But, I want you to say it just one more time. For old time's sake.**"_

_The other voice hesitated for a long moment. Then, quavering, it whispered, "My life for you."_

OoOoOo

Naruto woke up with a jolt, his heart racing. The dream however, was already quickly fading from his mind. Sitting up, he rubbed the sand from his eyes and tried to shake the feeling of uneasiness that had settled like a cold stone in his stomach. He glanced down and saw a very nude Sakura, sound asleep at his side. This immediately lifted his mood; leaning down, he kissed her softly on her forehead. "Wake up, sleepy-head."

"Leave...alone..." Sakura mumbled drowsily, rolling over so that her back was to him.

"You leave me no choice then..." A fox-like grin splitting his face, Naruto lunged forward and began tickling the pink-haired woman, his fingers dancing softly across her skin.

Sakura flailed, trying to escape his ministrations. "S-stop it!" she stuttered, fighting back giggles. "Damn it, Naruto, I'm trying to sleep!" She squirmed away and sat up on her knees. Without hesitation, she tackled him and began to tickle him in retaliation.

The two of them rolled around, laughing, each one trying to stay on top. Finally, they came to a stop, sweaty and out of breath. "You know, I don't normally get tackled by naked women, but I have to say that I found it rather enjoyable. Feel free to do it anytime. I'll even help you take your clothes off."

"Ah, and they say chivalry is dead," Sakura said, rolling her eyes.

They laid there on the grass for a while, looking up at the stars and enjoying each other's company. "We should get ready to head back home," Naruto murmured, breaking the comfortable silence that had filled the air around them.

Sakura propped herself up on her elbow. "Not yet," she whispered, shaking her head. "I have something to tell you."

"Oh?" Naruto asked, intrigued. "What is it?"

The pink-haired woman took a shaky breath and grasped his hand in both of hers. She brought his palm down and rested it on her stomach. "I'm pregnant, Naruto."

The blond's eyes widened, "What?"

Sakura averted her gaze. "I found out for sure yesterday..." She shifted uncomfortably. "You don't sound very happy..."

Naruto smiled, his teeth flashing in the dim light. "Are you kidding? This is great!" He leaned down and placed an ear to her tummy. "Is it a boy or a girl? Is it gonna have your eyes or mine? Will its hair be pink? What about its nose?"

Sakura giggled, pushing his head away. "I don't know, Naruto! You'll have to wait and see." She rolled her eyes, "Honestly, to think I was worried that you might not take the news well."

"Ah, come on! You know me better than that!" he chided, grinning.

An explosion sounded from far away, causing both of them to sit up straight. "I thought the fireworks were over."

Before Naruto could respond, a series of booms echoed from multiple directions, followed by the sound of crashing stone. Both of them were on their feet and getting dressed in an instant. "We need to get to outpost B," Naruto said quickly, pulling up his pants and buckling his belt. "Hopefully the Aburames' bug network can tell us what's going on."

Sakura zipped up her skirt and bent down to grab her blouse. "No, those explosions sounded bad. People are bound to be hurt," Sakura said, pulling the blouse over her head. "I've got to get out there as soon as possible."

"There's no telling what's happened..." Naruto began.

"If I don't get out there, a lot of people are going to die," Sakura said, cutting him off sharply. Her tone softened as she added, "Don't worry, Naruto. I'm a grown woman; I can take care of myself."

Naruto closed the distance between them pulled her into an embrace. He gently pushed her away, his hands resting on her shoulders. "Please be careful," he whispered, his sapphire eyes locked with her emerald ones. Pulling her in again, he pressed his mouth against hers briefly. "I love you."

Sakura took a shaky breath. "I love you too, Naruto."

OoOoOo

The smell of smoke hung thickly in the air throughout the Village Hidden in the Leaves; its acrid odor overpowering all other scents. Screams and clashing metal echoed throughout the streets, occasionally interrupted by the sound of a jutsu activating.

Naruto was met with this scene as he appeared in a flash of yellow above the watch tower of Outpost B. Above him, the sky glowed red from the light cast by the burning village below it. "How could it have gotten this bad so quickly?" Naruto wondered out loud, opening the entrance hatch and dropping down into the interior of the tower.

The inside of the tower was buzzing with activity. Naruto pushed his way through the crowds of confused citizens who had been allowed inside when the fighting had broken out. He saw Shino standing near a window, watching the activity below. "Shino!" he called, running up to stand beside him. "What the hell is going on?"

The Aburame turned to look at him, surprised. "Naruto? You're alive?"

"What?" Naruto asked, confused. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"The Hokage tower was destroyed before the walls were even breached. A messenger reported seeing you at your desk minutes before the explosion."

"That was only a shadow clone. I took the day off today, but. . ." Naruto's heart began to race. "What about the council? Grandma Tsunade? Did they get out of there?"

Shino averted his gaze, "We haven't been able to sort through the rubble, but reports put the council inside the building when it exploded."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "Have we been compromised?"

"It seems so. We were attacked from the inside at the same time we were attacked from the outside. The enemy must have had sleeper agents inside of our walls." Shino led Naruto over to a table with a map unfurled across it. He pointed to several areas that had been circled in red, "Our scouts have stopped reporting in at these locations."

"What about the civilians?" Naruto asked, leaning over to get a closer look at the map.

Shino moved his finger over to the center of the map, near the Hokage Monument. "Civilians that are in non-contested zones are being moved into the bunkers inside of the cliff face." Shino paused and gestured to the people around them, "Those who are in areas that are under attack have been moved to any defensible location."

"Do we know who's behind the attack?"

"No, anyone who has engaged the enemy has stated that they wear no identifying gear. We have some medic ninja examining enemy corpses, but we have yet to find out anything as to their allegiances."

Naruto looked closer at the map, taking in the multiple red marks that splattered the page. "God, Shino. How bad is it?"

Shino turned his face in Naruto's direction, and even with the sunglasses obscuring his eyes, Naruto knew that he was staring at him. "Thirty-five percent of our forces were lost in the initial exchange. The enemy planted explosives in areas with high shinobi population. They launched their ground attack from within the festival when the explosives went off." He shook his head, looking away. "With all the drinking that had been going on, no one down there was really fit to be fighting. It was a slaughter, civilians and shinobi included."

"So we're only at sixty-five percent capability? Subtract the number of people we have out on missions right now and that leaves us at less than fifty percent..Who's organizing the defense efforts?"

"Shikamaru took over as acting general when we first thought you had died. He and all the ninja he could gather are on the front line." Shino pointed to a mark on the map, "They're trying to push the enemy back but it's not working. He's being flanked by the infiltrators and they're picking off his soldiers faster than he can retaliate."

Naruto stepped back, "I need to get to him then." The blond looked around at the dozens of people milling around. "Do you have enough men to hold this position?"

Shino shook his head. "For now, maybe. But when the bulk of their army gets here, we'll be forced to evacuate."

Clapping the other man on the shoulder, Naruto said, "Then I'll just have to stop this thing before they reach you." He gestured to the people around them, "Keep them safe, Shino. Whatever it takes. We've lost enough people today." When Shino gave an affirmative nod, Naruto turned and jumped out of the window onto the rooftops below.

OoOoOo

Sweat dripped from Sakura's brow as she held her glowing hands over the bloody mess of Neji Hyuuga's right leg. The young man held a stony expression even as the chakra knitted his flesh back together. As the glow faded from her hands, Sakura sat back and wiped the sweat from her eyes. "There, you should be able to get back to an encampment now."

Neji shook his head, climbing to his feet shakily. "No. My place is here," he said as he tested his weight on his injured leg.

"Neji, what I did was patchwork at best. Your leg won't stand up to any strain, it'll just re-open."

"The only way I'm leaving here is when this battle is over." He smiled bitterly, shifting his weight onto his good leg. "Or in a body bag I suppose. The latter option seems a bit more likely at this point.

Sakura sighed and got up. "I can see there's no arguing with you."

Neji rested a hand on her shoulder. "Thank you, Sakura. Stay safe, there are still a lot of people who need your help. As for me," chakra flooded into his eyes, causing the veins on his face to bulge, "I figure I'll cause as much hell as I can before they take me down." His outline blurred, and the next moment Sakura was alone in the street where she had found the wounded Hyuuga.

She turned and ran towards the sounds of battle, her senses on high-alert. Before long, she began to see small skirmishes in the streets around her. She didn't pause to intervene, however, because she knew she would need all of her energy to make a difference on the front lines.

Sakura could smell the battlefield before she could see it. The stench of burned flesh and other more unpleasant odors flooded her nostrils as she drew near to the main body of the army. She gagged, covering her mouth and nose with her hands. She reached into her supply pouch and pulled out a small tube of a strongly scented peppermint paste. After quickly squeezing some out onto her finger, she rubbed the paste onto her upper-lip.

The disgusting odors now effectively neutralized, Sakura resumed her journey into the bulk of the battle. She soon saw a barricade in the street several hundred yards ahead of her, illuminated by glowing torches. It didn't take her long to recognize the loud voice of Kiba Inuzuka.

"Get that left flank secured! If we go down, there's nothing stopping them from overrunning the residential district!"

"Kiba!" she called, waving her hands to catch his attention.

He stopped shouting and looked around until he caught sight of her. Returning the wave, he began jogging out to her location. They met at the half-way point and began walking back up the hill together.

"Boy, am I glad to see you," Kiba said, rolling his shoulders. "Our medic ninja stepped on a land mine early on and blew his goddamned legs off. Now I've got a dozen soldiers that have made their way back here for medical treatment, and we can't do shit for them."

"Do you have any contact with the other platoons?"

Kiba shook his head, "No. Inoichi has been trying to contact his daughter; Ino's with Shikamaru on the front line right now, but he can't reach her or anyone else."

"Dear God. . ." Sakura whispered, her eyes drinking in the blood-soaked streets. "This is a massacre. How many men do you have left?"

"A little more than two-hundred- not counting the wounded." As they reached the encampment, Kiba led the pink-haired woman to the burned out shop that was serving as his command quarters. "Shikamaru is the only commander with more men than myself, at least he was before we lost contact. There are a few more organized efforts out there, but not on this scale. Plus the ninja who have been separated from the main groups."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest. "And the enemy? What are their numbers?"

Kiba hesitated, his eyes flickering from her face to the people around them. "Over five hundred in this sector alone. There's an estimated fifteen hundred inside the walls at this time."

The pink-haired woman was shocked. "How did they sneak up on us?"

"We suspect an infiltration cell was inside our walls before the attack started. They must have taken down the look-outs to cover their advance"

"Can you take me to your medical station? I can get to work on the injured." Kiba nodded and began leading Sakura to the relatively intact barbeque restaurant that was being used as a makeshift hospital. "What's the plan?" Sakura asked, digging through her medical bag as they walked towards their destination. "Are you going to help Shikamaru?"

Kiba sighed, and Sakura saw just how tired he looked for the first time. "It's all we can do to keep the enemy from pushing us back. Going forward isn't possible with our numbers, and even if it was, without us here to protect it, the residential district will be destroyed. That's over three-thousand lives, and I'm not going to have their blood on my hands."

"Why aren't they in the bunkers?" Sakura asked, finding what she was looking for in her pack and stowing it back on her hip. She opened the pill container in her hand and popped a small, blue chakra capsule into her mouth and chewed it, doing her best to ignore its chalky taste.

"I'm afraid that if I send a team off to move the civies, the enemy will overrun us. With our numbers, I just can't risk it.." Kiba rubbed his eyes, "Our situation isn't helped by the fact that none of our radios are working. Whoever these people are, they kicked us in the balls and kept on fucking us over from there. Nothing is working like it's supposed to."

Sakura was feeling a little giddy. Chakra capsules were designed to replenish chakra, not supplement it. Because her reserves were practically full, the pill had her overflowing with energy. Energy which she intended to use before it had a chance to dissipate. They reached the medical area and Sakura nodded to Kiba, "Just keep fighting, Kiba. We can do this."

Kiba smiled bitterly, "It's good to hear someone say that. Let me know when you finish up here. If you want, I'll arrange an escort to Shikamaru's last known location."

"Thank you, Kiba," Sakura said, stepping over the threshold into her new workspace.

The smell was the first thing that struck her. Even with the peppermint scented paste on her upper-lip, the odors filling the room made her wrinkle her nose. People were laid out on pallets that had been strewn haphazardly around the former restaurant, with injuries ranging from the minor to the extreme.

The first pallet was occupied by woman whose features were completely unrecognizable. Her skin was covered in third-degree burns and the hair had been singed from the top of her head. The skin that covered her eyes was hanging loosely, a testament to lack of orbs beneath. Her nose, ears, and even her lips had all been burned away, the latter showing her ash-coated teeth in a gruesome smile. Despite her grievous injuries, the woman's chest was rising and falling faintly. Sakura knelt at foot of the pallet and picked up the charred remains of a forehead protector. The fabric had been burned away, but the metal was intact. Turning it over in her hands, Sakura had to bite back a gasp as she read the name engraved on the back.

"Tenten. . ." she whispered, looking at the mangled form before her. Looking around, she quickly took stock of the remaining shinobi. Counting Tenten, there were seventeen people in need of varying levels of medical care. It hurt her, but she knew that Tenten alone would cost her over half of her remaining chakra. Not to mention the time it would take to regrow the skin that had been burned off of her body. It just wasn't practical to spend so much time and chakra to stabilize a ninja who would never fight again. At the same time, however, she knew that without proper treatment, Tenten would die a slow death It may take her hours to succumb to her injuries, and the war outside was sure to be raging for days.

The pinkette's mind raced. Never before had she been faced with such a decision, and her stomach wrenched at the very idea of what she knew was her only real option. Slowly, she reached into her medical bag and pulled out a red pill case. Even in the dim light, the small skull and crossbones stamped on the front of the case could easily be seen. Sakura flipped open the lid with a pop, the noise deafening in the silence. She reached in and emerged with a little green pill pinched between her thumb and forefinger. She bit back her tears as she gently grasped Tenten's chin with her other hand. The injured kunoichi moaned in pain, but Sakura didn't release her grip. She carefully dropped the pill into Tenten's mouth; pushing her jaw closed, Sakura tilted Tenten's head back, making her swallow the capsule.

Sakura took a step back and watched with tears in her eyes as the cyanide pill did its work. The burned woman soon went into convulsions, every muscle in her body contracting. Her back arched, her mouth open in a wordless scream that revealed a tongue blackened by fire. Finally, her body relaxed and she slumped down, foam leaking from the corner of her mouth. Sakura checked her pulse, and sighed heavily when she didn't find one. She reached down and pulled the white sheet, which had bunched at the bottom of the pallet, over Tenten's motionless corpse.

Taking a shaky breath, Sakura moved on to the next ninja. She hoped she would never have to do what she just had to do again, but she knew that was a pointless wish.

OoOoOo

The enemy sentry didn't even have time to grunt before Naruto had knocked him unconscious and drug him into an alley. Working quickly, Naruto stole the man's clothes and put them on. Next, he cast a light genjutsu on his face, subtly altering his features. The less complex his disguise, the easier it would be for any enemies searching for genjutsu to overlook him. With any luck, he wouldn't be coming face to face with anyone inside the base until his trap was sprung.

At the moment, his main priority was finding this company's commander. Once he took out their leader, any response to his assault would be disorganized. Finding their commander, however, was easier said than done. Like most ninja, this enemy followed the rule subtly. The leader would be dressed the same as all the other soldiers, and his orders would be given over a headset. It was a tactic employed by most ninja villages during large scale conflicts to thwart assassination attempts.

As he made his way into the camp, his eyes flitted casually around, searching for any sign of the enemy leader. A slightly wider berth given to a single individual, for example; or perhaps a predisposition to look at someone every few minutes. These guys were professionals-and none of them gave away the slightest hint as to who was in control. Naruto inwardly cursed, thinking that he had wasted his time infiltrating the enemy camp.

_**'**Don't give up so easily, Naruto.'_ A deep voice rumbled from the back of his mind.

**'**_You have something in mind, Kurama?'_ he asked, staying alert for any signs that the enemy had noticed him.

The gravelly voice chuckled. _'For them to be operating with this efficiency, they must have gone through months of training under their leader's command. Maybe even years. Every one of these guys knows what he looks like.'_

Naruto was letting his feet carry him around the base at a calm but hurried pace, displaying to anyone watching that he was in a hurry to get somewhere, but he wasn't nervous. The perfect gait for a messenger or guard. _'How exactly do I get one of them to tell me? It's not like they'll give me a description just because I ask nicely and slip them a little money.'_

_'Just get one by himself and I'll take care of the rest,' _Kurama assured him.

The blond sighed, acquiescing to the demon's request. He looked around for a target, and it only took him moments to spot a lone sentry standing on top of a nearby five-story building. The man was distracted, scanning the perimeter of the camp with a pair of binoculars. Naruto climbed the side of the building with a flowing grace built from years of practice. Once he reached the top, he cleared his throat to get the other man's attention.

"Yeah?" the man asked, glancing in his direction.

Naruto held up a small scroll he had retrieved from the pouch on his waist. "I've got a message for Yamada, you him?"

The other man's eyes narrowed. "No, I'm not. And I've never heard of any Yamada. What platoon are you from? You one of General Anterva's men?"

It was clear by his tone that the man was suspicious of Naruto. He decided that his best chance was to act now. His body blurred out of existence as he closed the short distance between them in a fraction of a second. The fingers of his left hand closed over the ninja's mouth, the other clamped down in a vice-like grip on his opponent's left wrist. He pivoted at the waist and slung the man down harshly, pinning him to the ground with a knee to the chest. "Listen to me very carefully," Naruto whispered harshly, "There are only two ways this ends. You tell me what I want to know, and I knock you on the head so you can sleep the next few hours off with nothing more than a headache to show for it." His captive made a muffled attempt to speak, but Naruto pressed on, ignoring him. "The other option is I snap your fucking neck like a piece of balsa wood and find someone else to help me out. Your call."

As Naruto removed his hand from the other man's mouth, the man spat in Naruto's face. "I would sooner die then betray my comrades! Gua-"

His shout was cut off as Naruto covered his mouth again, glancing around to make sure no one had heard. The building was high, and there was a good chance the noise had floated away unnoticed. When no reaction was forthcoming, Naruto shook his head in disappointment. "You really shouldn't act this way. I offered you a way out." The blond closed his eyes.

When he opened them, the once ocean-blue orbs had been colored a shade of blood-red. Kurama pushed a small amount of chakra into his captive's body, filling him with a cold feeling of dread. **"Listen to me, and listen to me well, human. I know my host offered you a quick death in the event that you proved uncooperative. I, on the other hand, have no problem with forcing you slowly from this world. Fingernail by fingernail, digit by digit, limb by limb. So you have until the count of three to tell me what I want to know. If you haven't revealed your secrets by then, I'll begin by plucking out one of those pretty green eyes."** The Kyuubi paused, his eyes boring into his counterpart's, **"Who is the leader of this company, and where is his location?"**

"W-What a-a-are you?" the man stammered.

"**One."**

"If you hurt m-me. . . I'll s-scr-scream. And everyone i-in this camp will come up here to help me."

"**Two."**

The man looked around desperately, too afraid to call out. "I'm telling y-you! You'll never g-g-get away w-with this!"

"**Thr-"**

"Wait! Wait! I'll tell you what you want to know, just don't hurt me!" Kurama looked down at him expectantly. "His name is Lieutenant Zatrian. He has r-red hair and a s-s-scar over his right eye. He's near the center of the camp, inside of the medical tent. He's dressed a-as an injured soldier."

_'Makes sense,'_ Naruto's voice echoed inside of Kurama's mind, _'Its standard practice for warring villages to hold fire on medical bases.'_

Kurama smiled, revealing a pair of abnormally large canine teeth. **"Thank you for your cooperation, human. How do your people say it? Pleasant dreams?"** Before the man had a chance to question what he meant, the demon slammed the back of his head against the concrete rooftop, knocking him out cold.

As Kurama released his hold on Naruto's body, the blond shook his head to clear it of the demonic possession. "Well, I can't argue with the results, I suppose." He carefully made his way back down the side of the building and made his way towards the medical tents. He held his side, acting the part of an injured soldier to avoid suspicion.

It didn't take him long to reach his destination. The medical area comprised of several tents positioned around one another. He decided that if the enemy leader was trying to avoid attention, he would be hiding in the smallest tent; a ramshackle shelter thrown together with sticks and old cloth. It was obviously meant to house nonessential personnel, so it would make a prime hiding place for their commander.

Naruto pushed open the flap and stepped inside the tent, letting his eyes adjust to the change of light. After a few seconds, he looked around, trying to catch a glimpse of red. There were at least twenty injured men and women inside the small tent, but he didn't see any with red hair. His attention was drawn, however, by a man whose head was wrapped in bandages, only his closed eyes exposed to the air. Naruto stepped forward, silent as a fox, and plucked the clipboard from in front of the man's feet. The documentation claimed that the man had been injured in a blast from an explosion tag. Naruto replaced the clipboard and proceeded to pluck the man on the arm. He surged upward, screaming, but the sound was swiftly cut off by Naruto's hand over his mouth. Naruto moved up and put his knee down on his captive's chest, restraining him and drawing several agonized grunts. With his free hand, Konoha's Hokage tugged the bandages away from the man's face. As the bandages slipped away, blood-red hair could be seem poking through the strips of gauze.

It was now that the red-haired man began to struggle with a strength that gave no doubt to the fact that he was uninjured. His right hand came around and slammed into Naruto's chest, discharging a current of electricity into his torso. Naruto was flung into the side of the tent, collapsing it around them.

By the time Naruto had extricated himself from the wreckage, Zatrian was tearing the remaining bandages from his head. As they fell away, they revealed that he was a strong, middle-aged man with a long crop of red hair and a thick beard. Naruto's eyes flickered around the area, but they were alone for the moment. "I'm assuming you're Zatrian, is that right?"

Zatrian smiled, cracking his neck. "Ya be right in this case," he said, his voice thick with an accent Naruto didn't recognize. "But I wouldn't be goin 'round assumin all da time. It makes an ass out of you and me, ya ken?"

Naruto chuckled while he reached down to pull a three-pronged kunai from his pocket. "I'll keep that in mind." As soon as the words left his mouth, he threw the kunai at Zatrian.

The red-haired man side-stepped the thrown weapon deftly, his grin widening. "Yer gonna have ta try harder then that." His smile faded, however, as Naruto vanished in a flash of yellow.

A moment later, the blond appeared in the air behind his opponent. Pushing his arm forward, Naruto planted his Rasengan squarely between Zatrian's shoulder blades; the spinning ball of chakra shredded his skin and shattered his spinal column as he was driven harshly into the ground below. Naruto let the energy dissipate as his feet touched lightly on the ground, taking a step away from Zatrian's spasming body. Naruto could sense several ninja closing on his position, fast. He knew it was time to spring his trap. He pulled a flare from his jacket and shot it into the sky.

A moment later, explosions filled the air as his shadow clones activated chakra tags all over the enemy encampment. While this was happening, Naruto bit his thumb and performed his summoning jutsu. A huge plume of smoke rose into the air as several large toads appeared in the clearing around him. They scattered, shooting off into different directions to engage the enemy per Naruto's instructions.

Sounds of battle erupted from the north as his shadow clones engaged the enemy's rear flank. His senses were soon being bombarded as his clones began to be destroyed. He caught several flashes of the battlefield before he closed his mind off to the clones.

He looked back at the medical tents behind him and sighed. With deft fingers, he formed several hand signs and slammed his palms down into the dirt. A moment later, thick earthen walls rose around the tents, each one stamped with a medical cross to ensure his people knew not to attack it.

His attention was drawn by clapping. He turned around and was met with the sight of Obito Uchiha leaning on a nearby wall. "You."

Obito grinned, his hands slowing to a stop. "Good job, Naruto. Always the pacifist, even when your village is crumbling around you."

OoOoOo

"Commander!" a voice called from the entryway to Shikamaru's tent, drawing his attention.

"What is it, Keneda?" he asked, his voice impatient.

The messenger was grinning ear-to-ear. "The enemy attacking our rear flank has turned away. Another force is drawing their attention, and it sounds like a large one."

Shikamaru's eyes narrowed as he turned back to his map. Kiba was the only commander that had any force sizable enough to make a difference, but he was to the east, not the south. It was possible that he had circled around, but it was unlikely that the Inuzuka would leave the civilians in that sector to be killed. It was also possible that someone else had been able to organize some of the scattered shinobi into a sizable force, but that too wasn't very likely. "Have you noticed anything else? Can you see who they are?"

Keneda shook his head. "No, sir. The men are too far away to see, but we have had several visuals of large frogs attacking the enemy lines."

The dark-haired general felt his heart skip a beat. He knew only one person who could summon frogs. He also knew that the same person was capable of forming his own army in a matter of seconds. Which meant that his plans had to change. Shikamaru brushed past the messenger and went outside. Spotting his Lieutenant, he made a bee-line for the large man. "Chouji!" he called.

Chouji, who had been giving orders to a small group of frightened looking chuunin, glanced up at the sound of his friend's voice. "Yeah, Shikamaru? What is it?"

"Naruto's alive," Shikamaru began, pointing towards the sounds of the battle to the south, "Whatever he's doing back there, he's definitely got their attention. If we want to hurt these bastards, this is gonna be our best chance."

The Akamichi nodded, scratching his chin thoughtfully. His gaze flickered to the lightening horizon and then back to Shikamaru. "If we hit them from the east, we can use the sun to blind them as long as we stay up on the rooftops."

Shikamaru was a little surprised. Chouji wasn't stupid, but strategy wasn't normally his thing. "My thoughts exactly. The problem is, I can't spare many soldiers to help flank them."

Again, Chouji seemed to be thinking, "I should be able to do it with ten good men, so long as I can have three more that can circle around and distract them from the west as well. A total of fourteen, including myself."

Shikamaru contemplated this, then nodded. "Done. But only on one condition."

"What?"

Reaching out to grasp his friend's shoulder roughly, Shikamaru whispered, "You come back alive, Chouji."

Chouji grinned, "Deal."

OoOoOo

Iruka was brought harshly back into consciousness by a cold wave of water rushing over his head. He coughed and spluttered, shaking his head back and forth to clear it of the liquid. He tried to move his hands, but found that they had been strapped down to the chair he was sitting in, completely immobilizing him. He blinked, turning his eyes in every direction, trying to figure out where he was.

"Good morning, sunshine," a voice said from directly above him.

The bound chuunin craned his neck backwards to try and catch a glimpse of the speaker, but couldn't quite reach the proper angle. Letting his neck return to a natural position, he asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

A man dropped from the ceiling to land in front of him. He was dressed very strangely, wearing light-blue pants and a matching jacket, both of which were made from a material Iruka didn't recognize. A pin on the man's chest had a picture of a pig with words in a language that Iruka could not read. "Names Randall Flagg, chief. Mind if I get yours?"

"Iruka."

"Okay, Iruka, I've got a question for ya. Once you answer me, you'll be free to go." While he was speaking, Flagg walked in a slow circle around his captive, his boots clicking on the concrete floor. "I want to know where you're hiding your civilians."

Iruka spat on the floor at the man's feet as he passed in front of him. "I'm not telling you anything."

Flagg closed the distance between them in an instant, his face pressed so close to Iruka's that he could smell the mans sour breath. "I was hoping you would say that," Flagg whispered harshly, his lips curling into a grin that revealed razor sharp teeth.

The grin made Iruka's blood run cold. That simple act made him want to tell the other man everything he knew. No, not a man, a demon. A primal fear was rising in Iruka's heart, and he instinctively knew that Flagg was not mortal. When he spoke, his voice was shaking; only his shinobi training kept him from groveling to the thing before him. "Do your worst, monster." A moment later, Iruka's world exploded into agony.

OoOoOo

Sakura stepped out from the makeshift medical facility, shielding her eyes from the harsh glow of the early morning sun. Her whole body ached savagely, a clear sign of chakra exertion. She was only seconds away from full blown exhaustion when the chest wound of her final patient had mercifully closed.

The camp was quiet, but faint sounds of battle could be heard from the distance. She spotted Kiba a few meters away, standing under an awning of a former shop. He was talking to a dark-haired man in a Jounin vest, and Sakura's stomach dropped as she recognized who it was.

Sasuke Uchiha had finally returned to the Leaf after Akatsuki was wiped out. Naruto had protected him from the other villages, claiming that the Uchiha's betrayal had been a plan by Konoha to infiltrate the terrorist organization. Several of the villages were unconvinced, the Hidden Cloud among the chief objectors. Naruto had reasoned with them, promising to 'imprison' the young Uchiha within the village for a minimum of fifteen years, and paying a heavy sum in reparations to placate them. Still, it was obvious that Kumo was almost constantly watching the border of their village, ensuring that Sasuke's imprisonment was enforced.

He was the man who she had once thought she loved. But he had changed so much, having tried to kill her and Naruto multiple times. The thought of him using a technique like chidori on her Naruto made her angry. His return, which she had thought would bring her joy, only made her bitter. He had betrayed them once, and Sakura didn't trust him not to do so again. She had said fewer than a dozen words to the last Uchiha since his return five years ago, and she had pleaded with Naruto not to spend so much time with a man who she still thought of as a traitor. Honestly, she wouldn't be surprised if he was behind the attack now.

She approached them, and Sasuke glanced up at the sound of her footsteps. "Sakura," he greeted, nodding in her direction.

"Hello, Uchiha," Sakura said coolly, not looking him in the eyes. A necessary precaution when talking to a Sharingan wielder, in her opinion."

If Sasuke was put off by her chilly greeting, he didn't show it. "I was bringing Kiba word of the situation at the main gate. Unfortunately, our resistance was crushed. I was forced to retreat, there's nothing protecting us on that flank but a few garrisoned buildings now." Sakura scoffed, drawing the Uchiha's attention. "I'm sorry, is there something you wish to say, Sakura?"

Sakura smiled bitterly, shaking her head. "Not really, it's just not surprising that you ran off and left those men to die."

Kiba cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable. "Actually, Sasuke brought back a sizable group. The breaches on the east wall were too spread out for his company to cover, but his fifty-six remaining men will be a big help here."

The pink-haired woman blushed, but Sasuke did not chastise her for her assumption. Instead, he turned his attention back to the map in front of him. "You said we reestablished radio contact with outpost B. How are they holding up?"

"The enemy raided them a little while ago, they suffered losses but Shino has the situation under control. No civilian casualties on their side. But the north east has suffered heavy losses, civilian and shinobi alike."

"You said outpost B, right? Did they give any news on Naruto?" Sakura asked, her voice quiet but tinged with worry.

Kiba nodded, "Yeah, they said he went to help Shikamaru. Speaking of him, I told you we could arrange an escort to his location after you patched up my men. How are they?"

"I was able to bring fourteen of the injured ninja back to fighting strength. You still have two that are too injured to fight, but they will live, and they can walk. The burn victim..."

"It was Tenten, I know. Lee brought her here after she triggered a web of incendiary tags." Kiba paused, "Did she pass on?" he asked, his voice low.

Sakura shakily nodded her head. "Yes...I made it as painless as I could. I knew I couldn't save her."

Kiba let her words sink in, and he sighed heavily as he realized what she meant. "I understand. You did the right thing, we couldn't take proper care of her."

"Added to who you had before, and who...Sasuke brought back, how many do you have now?"

The dog ninja seemed to calculate for a moment. "Two-hundred and eighty...give or take a dozen. We're constantly picking up and losing men."

Sakura looked at him, "How many could you spare for a rescue party for the residential district?"

Kiba thought for a minute. "We're in a defensible position. I could spare about eighty. Why should we take the risk though?"

"Because if we didn't have to protect the civilian districts, we could focus on driving out the enemy," Sasuke answered, breaking into the conversation.

"That's exactly it," Sakura confirmed. "We could split them up, get one group to the southern bunker and another to the bunkers at the monument. Once they're safe, we could join Shikamaru's group and send word back to you so you can attack the enemies from this side."

Kiba ran a hand through his hair, grimacing as his muscles protested the action. "It's a big risk."

"But it has the possibility of yielding high rewards," Sasuke said, his fingers drumming on the hilt of his sword. "This is a war, Kiba, we have to get on the offensive if we want to win it."

Kiba sighed, "I guess you're right. Will you two lead a group? I want two people I trust in each party of escorts."

Sakura glanced at Sasuke warily, avoiding his eyes. She hated the idea, but her preferences weren't relevant. Besides, it would be the best way for her to keep an eye on the former traitor. "Okay."

When Sasuke nodded his consent, Kiba spoke again, "Good. I'll go assemble a platoon of thirty-eight for you two, and another forty for the other team. Be ready to leave within the hour. I hope to God that you're right about this."

As the Inuzuka walked away, Sasuke turned to Sakura and began to speak, "Listen, Sakura, I know you don't trust me, but we need to clear the air if we are going to get this mission done."

Sakura crossed her arms over her chest, giving him a withering look. "There's nothing to 'clear the air' about. You betrayed us, end of story. You're a traitor who not only tried to kill me, but your best friend, and your sensei. As far as I'm concerned, there's no coming back from that."

"I messed up, Sakura. Bad. I know that." His hands balled into fists at his side. "I was so concerned with extracting revenge for the family I lost, that I turned on the family that had formed around me." He was shaking now, his voice cracking, and Sakura realized with horror that the man before her was on the brink of tears. "Not a day goes by that I don't regret the path I chose. You're right, there's no coming back from it. No matter how long I stay here, no one will ever really trust me again." He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, and Sakura could not stop her emerald eyes from meeting his pleading black ones. She braced for a genjutsu, but none came. "I'm not asking you to forgive me, Sakura. I could never ask that of you. I just want you to know how sorry I am for what I did. But, just for this mission, I ask that you trust me. I won't let you down."

Sakura stared back at him for a moment, then broke eye contact. "Fine," she said dryly, stepping away from him. She laughed, the sound almost happy, "I guess I'm losing my mind, because part of me actually believes you. Maybe, after this is all over, we can work this all out."

The corner of Sasuke's mouth lifted in a smile. The first one she'd seen from him since they were young. "I'm glad."

"No promises," Sakura added quickly, turning on her heel and walking away. "I'll meet you by the medical building in an hour. I need to get something to eat."

Sasuke nodded, watching her go. When she was gone, he sat down under the awning and leaned against the wall. He pulled his katana off his belt and unsheathed it. With slow, deliberate motions he began to sharpen the blade with a whetstone.

OoOoOoOoOo

**A.N. That's the end of the first part of ACT I. Part two will be up soon. Brownie points to any reader who can place the character I pulled! Let's just say that he/she'll be a major plot point in the story, and you'll know just how badly shit's about to hit the fan if you recognize them.**

**Next chapter things are going to be a lot darker. Horrible things are going to be taking place in Konoha. They're at war and there will be plenty of people who are killed or maimed in the process. Take heart, my loyal readers, as if you recall this will be a time-travel(kinda) story, so things aren't going to stay this sad. Bear with me, please!**

**An interesting note, this story was actually inspired by music. The three biggest inspirations came from Skillet's "Hero", Trading Yesterday's "Shattered", and Red's "Let it Burn". Whenever I need a bump for this story, I listen to them. I recommend checking em out.**


	2. ACT I Part 2: Hope You Guessed My Name

**A.N. I'm impressed with the popularity of chapter one. I hope I can continue to live up to your expectations. Any questions are welcome, but please log in or leave an email. I'll answer you personally, but I won't devote space in a chapter for a Q&A. To the person who asked if Sakura was pregnant with Sasuke's child and was only pretending to love Naruto, all I can say is this...Dafuq dude?**

**Next up is the business of Randall Flagg. I'm surprised no one even tried to guess who he was, but, oh well. Flagg is a character that has appeared in many of Stephen King's novels. The most notable of these being _The Stand_ and _The Dark Tower_ series. It has been implied that Flagg is a manifestation of evil or even Satan himself. He's as bad as bad can be and is practically immortal. I needed an ungodly powerful antagonist for the opening of this fanfiction, and after hours of agonizing over the fan-reaction of an OC killing off Naruto characters, I decided that it would be easier to use a character that at least some readers would recognize. It was a perfect fit, because Flagg's appearance in multiple novels from different worlds implies an ability to 'jump dimensions.' I understand that this would turn some people off, and I just want you to know that this is NOT a crossover fanfiction. Just because Flagg is here doesn't mean Roland the Gunslinger is going to make an appearance this isn't that kind of story.**

**Thanks to my beta, Nokito-chan, you're awesome! Thanks for sticking with me through my long hiatus a few years back.**

OoOoOoOoOo

Prologue Part 2: Hope You Guessed My Name

Overhead the Hokage monument loomed ominously; blocking out the sun and cloaking the large group of people marching below in shadow. At the head of the procession, Sasuke raised his hand, signaling those following him to stop. As they fidgeted and murmured amongst themselves, Sasuke took another mental count. His group had a total of twelve-hundred and thirteen civilians, plus his remaining thirty-three shinobi and himself. The only losses they had taken were at the very beginning, while evacuating people from their homes; one of those losses had been a genin who had been stabbed in the chest by a terrified man. Despite Sakura's best efforts, she had been unable to stem the bleeding and the young ninja had succumbed to the wound. The man would have to face charges, but that could be taken care of at a later date.

Despite this, their losses had been extremely mild compared to what Sasuke had initially been expecting. There had not been a single raid on their group since they had exited the residential district, which was exactly why Sasuke was concerned. They had needed to cross through the middle of a red-zone to reach their current location, and yet they had not encountered a single patrol. This stank of a trap. He motioned for Sakura to come forward. Once she reached him, he pulled her to side, out of earshot to the other people.

"Yes?" she asked in a hushed tone, coming to a stop next to the Uchiha.

Sasuke said, "I don't like this situation at all. Things have been going too smoothly, it shouldn't be this easy to waltz through a war-zone."

Sakura nodded her agreement, shifting her wait to her right foot. "You're right, but there isn't much we can do about it now. Our best bet is to stay on our guard and get these people to the bunkers."

"Agreed, but I still think we should send a scouting party ahead before the main body. Two should be sufficient." The dark-eyed man glanced at the woman on his right, "Do you want to go with me, or should I get someone else?" His words were not accusatory, he sounded as if he was genuinely trying not to make her uncomfortable.

She shook her head, "No, I'll go with you."

"Alright," Sasuke said, turning on his heel to walk towards the closest jounin. "Just a quick run, if we come upon any-" His sentence was cut short as a hand emerged from a window of the building they were passing. Its fingers curled around his wrist in a vice, and Sasuke muffled a surprised shout as he pulled away. His force was met with an unyielding grip, but the fingers lost their purchase as his shirt-sleeve ripped away. Snatching his arm to his chest, Sasuke jumped back and drew his katana in one motion.

Sakura followed his lead, chakra scalpels glowing around her fingertips. "Come out, now!" she ordered.

The hand disappeared back into the building. A moment later, a scared looking woman with frizzy brown hair stumbled out of a door to the left of the window. Her clothes were torn, and she was covered in dirt. In her right hand, she clutched the fabric of Sasuke's shirt. "Y-you're ninja. Thank goodness, maybe you can s-save them!"

Sasuke relaxed a bit, but did not sheath his sword. Instead, he let the blade hang at his side as he straightened up. "What are you talking about?" he asked cautiously.

"The b-bunkers," the woman stammered, taking an unsteady step towards them. "T-they were over r-run."

"What?" Sakura asked loudly, advancing towards the distraught woman.

Her eyes were wild, shifting back between Sakura and Sasuke rapidly. "They stormed i-inside this morning. K-killed those who f-fought b-back. T-t-then the men...used the women who hadn't d-di-died at the b-beginning...And some of those w-who had..." She trailed off and locked eyes with Sasuke. "Please. I slipped out unnoticed, but my d-daughter is still there. You have to help her!" Without any warning, she slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Sasuke looked around, trying to locate the source responsible for the woman's sudden collapse. At the same time, Sakura shot forward and slid to a stop on her knees next to the prone figure of the older woman. After pressing her fingertips against the side of her patient's neck, she called over her shoulder to Sasuke, "She's fine. Looks like she just fainted."

Sasuke slowly re-sheathed his sword, his eyes dancing along the rooftops for signs of spying. "Change of plans. We need to secure this area and lead a small team into the bunkers to scout for survivors."

"You're right. Let me get her squared away and I'll be ready to go."

Over the next few minutes, Sasuke darted around the camp, delegating tasks to the jounin in his group. It didn't take long-they had contingencies in place for just this situation. Next, he set about recruiting the remaining two ninja he would need for his four-man cell. Once he had ironed out the details of who would be where, the shinobi began to lead groups of civilians into the surrounding buildings, where they would be easier to defend.

He met up with Sakura, who was accompanied by his recruits, at the base of the Hokage monument.

She nodded to him as he approached, standing up and stowing the wrapper of an energy bar into her hip-pouch. "Do you have everything set up?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yes, Anko is going to act as the commander in my absence." His gaze shifted to the two other ninja. "Are you ready for this?"

The one on the left nodded. His shoulders were broad, and muscles rippled under his black shirt. "Of course, Uchiha. I'm always ready. As for Roukan over there..."

"Aw give it a rest, Genji," the one on the right snapped. Like his friend, his clothing revealed that he had been forced into battle while off duty.

They set up a standard four-point formation and began to move up the winding path to the bunkers, with Sasuke taking point. Any progress they made was slow, their feet moving at a snail's pace as they kept vigil for any signs of the enemy.

As they neared the top, Sasuke signaled for them to stop. Sakura moved up from her place at the rear of their formation. "What's the matter?" she asked quietly.

"I see something," Sasuke murmured, his eyes turning red as he activated his Sharingan.

Sakura searched the area in front of them. The cave-like entrance to the main bunker was visible, but there didn't seem to be anything wrong. "What is it?"

Sasuke's face had gone pale. "Someone's hanging from the ceiling of the cavern."

"Can you tell who it is?" Roukan piped up.

"No," Sasuke answered quickly, setting off with renewed speed towards the bunker.

As they closed in, the less visually inclined members of the squad began to see what Sasuke was referring to. They came to a halt a few meters away from the entrance; Roukan and Genji broke away, taking up defensive positions to protect the group's flank.

Sakura gazed up at the dangling form, but the shadows at the roof of the twenty meter high cave obscured any distinguishing features. "I'm going to cut him down. Keep your eyes peeled." The pinkette jumped up onto the side of the rock wall, her feet sticking to its surface with chakra. She ran up until she reached the ceiling, then, by refocusing her chakra into her hands and knees, crawled towards the victim in the center of the large rock dome. The man had been stripped of all clothing, and a noose was wrapped around his throat. She dropped down next to him, one hand pressed flat against the rock to hold her up. Her body swayed back and forth as she held up her free hand and focused chakra into her palm, resulting in a faint green glow. Sakura gasped, the sound carrying in the cavern.

"What happened?" Genji called from his post.

A cold knot had set into the pit of Sakura's stomach, and she couldn't find the voice to speak. The light from her chakra lantern was illuminating the mutilated face of her former teacher: Iruka. The purple flesh was bloated from lack of oxygen. His eyelids hung in shreds over the shriveled remains of his eyes. His ears appeared to have been ripped off, and his gaping mouth revealed gums with no teeth. Bile rose into the back of Sakura's throat and she had to turn her head to the side as the energy bar and her dinner from the night before both returned. The puke splattered on the rocks below her.

Sasuke cursed, jumping to the side to avoid her sick. "Sakura?" he called from below. "Are you okay?"

The pink-haired woman dry-heaved once or twice more, before shakily wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "No," she answered, breathlessly. "Not really." She dispersed the chakra in her hand and pulled a kunai from her weapons pouch. "It's Iruka. He's dead, but I'm going to get him down." She brought her legs up and put them under the dead man's armpits to take some of his weight off the noose, then cut the rope that was holding him up. As his full weight was released, his body slipped from her grasp and began to plummet towards the ground.

"I've got him!" Sasuke called, jumping up to snatch the body from the air. As Sakura made her way back down the cave wall, Sasuke gently lowered Iruka's body to the floor. His fingers deftly removed the rope from around the other man's throat. His eyes lingered on his former sensei's forehead, where the character for "rat" had been carved into his flesh. "He was interrogated," Sasuke murmured.

Sakura came to a stop next to Sasuke. "He was one of the chuunin in charge of evacuation detail. He would have known the locations of every bunker in the Leaf." Her eyes trailed up and down the prone form, taking in the horrendous damage that had been inflicted to it. "He lasted a long time...but I guess everyone has their breaking point..."

Sasuke nodded, standing up and pulling a scroll from the pouch on his hip. He let the paper unfurl, then pressed the pad of his thumb against one of the many seals inscribed on the scroll. A dark-green traveling blanket appeared in a cloud of smoke, which Sasuke snatched out of the air. Stowing the scroll away, he shook the blanket out of its folded shape and draped it over Iruka's body.

Sakura watched him as he did this, taking in his every movement. Despite her anger at his actions leading up to the Fourth Great Ninja War, she found herself softening to his new attitude. The young Uchiha seemed to have legitimately changed. As Sasuke reached forward to tuck the cloth under Iruka's side, the torn sleeve on his right arm fell to the side, revealing an onyx black tattoo of a dragon that spiraled from his wrist to half-way up his forearm, where it disappeared under the remaining fabric of his sleeve. Normally, she wouldn't think anything of it; but there was something about the shapes in the ink that seemed a bit too structured to be mere art.

The dark-haired youth stood up straight and turned towards the other two ninja. "Hey, Genji, I want you to take Iruka's body back to the platoon."

Genji jogged up to them. "Yes, sir!" He stooped and picked up Iruka's swaddled form and departed in a puff of smoke.

"Roukan, I want you to guard the entrance. Sakura and I will take point. Make sure no one gets on our six."

Roukan nodded, quickly taking up his new position.

Sasuke turned to Sakura, "You ready?"

The pinkette nodded, falling into step beside the Uchiha as they made their way towards the bunker. "Sasuke..."

"Hm?"

"What's that tattoo on your arm?"

Sasuke slowed to a halt inside the entrance of the cave, his hand falling unconsciously to his forearm. "Oh, that...Well, I got it a few months after I came back..."

Sakura sighed. "Sasuke, I'm trying my hardest to trust you, but that's gonna be hard if you can't even tell me the truth. I know a seal when I see one, what's it for?"

The Uchiha ran his fingers through his hair. "Sakura, please, this isn't..." He looked into her eyes and saw that they were unwavering. Taking a deep breath, Sasuke shrugged. "Fine. It's a security measure." Sakura merely raised an eyebrow. "After what I did to his brother, the Raikage demanded reparations, namely my death. But Naruto..."

"He wouldn't let them have it. I remember, they debated for hours before settling on a hefty fine for Konoha to pay out, and our promise that you wouldn't leave the village for at least fifteen years."

Sasuke nodded, "Yes. But it didn't stop there." It was clear from Sakura's expression that she hadn't known there was more to the story. "The third stipulation was that my Susanoo would be sealed away. They deemed it too powerful for a 'ninja of my history' to possess. It was required that a seal expert from the Cloud do the sealing." He held up his arm, ripping the remaining sleeve away, and pointed to the bottom half of what Sakura now realized was a tattoo depicting two dragon's spiraling out of the same source halfway up Sasuke's forearm. The bottom one's head terminated at his wrist, the top's at the crook of his elbow. "That's the first seal, it holds my Susanoo."

Sakura's eyes drifted to the upper half of the seal. "What about the rest of it?"

Sasuke swallowed, his fingertips trailing up the markings on his arm. "The final stipulation was insurance in case I got away. The Raikage wanted a way for him to kill me from anywhere at any time."

A sharp intake of breath, followed by, "Naruto agreed to that?"

A small smile flickered over Sasuke's lips. "No, he was dead-set against it. Said that he'd sooner go to war than hand over 'one of his best agents' to the Raikage judgment." Sasuke shook his head, laughing lightly. "I wore him down though, I couldn't let him go to war over me. They placed the seal, with my condition that I choose the means of death."

Sakura was quiet for a long moment. "What did you choose?"

Sasuke shifted his stance, his eyes downcast. "I'd rather not say."

"Fair enough..." An uncomfortable silence fell between them for several heart beats. "If you don't mind my asking, who can activate it?"

"All the Kage have been linked into the seal, any one of them can activate it at any time. Being the one who is under the seal's influence, I can as well." Sasuke's eyes fell. "Should anyone activate it, the others will know who did so and when they did."

Sakura nodded. "I see. That way, the Raikage won't just kill you because he's having a bad day and feels like blowing off some steam."

"Exactly. Naruto added the 'accountability clause' himself to make sure no one did just that." Sasuke turned his gaze on her. "Is there anything else you want to ask me, Sakura?"

She stared at him for a long moment, then shook her head. "No. Let's go."

They were only a few feet into the bunker when they came across the first bodies. Two guards in chuunin vests were pinned to the wall by earthen spikes which protruded jaggedly from their chests. A few feet away, the heavy wooden doors of the entrance stood wide open. The two walked forward slowly, mindful of an ambush.

They reached the main area of the bunker, a room that had a high vaulted ceiling but no windows. Its only source of illumination was dozens of chakra-powered lamps that had been attached to the walls. There was no noise but their own footsteps as they advanced. A faint smell of decay filled the room, and its source was obvious.

Bodies had been piled haphazardly around the room. The sheer number of casualties was overwhelming, some of the piles were over three meters high. "It was a massacre. Couldn't have been thirty ninja here, but I bet there were over two thousand people in this room alone," Sasuke muttered bitterly.

Sakura began to walk forward, her feet shuffling along the packed-earth that formed the floor. Forest-green eyes were locked intently on a prone figure several meters away.

Sasuke watched her, confused, as she slowly made her way forward. "Sakura? What's the matter?"

The pink-haired woman fell to her knees next to the body of a young blonde child. The little girl was naked from the waist down and it was clear that she had been raped. Her shirt was soaked in blood, and her lolling head revealed a throat that had been slashed.

Sasuke sprinted over and knelt at her side. "Come on, Sakura, we've gotta check for survivors."

Sakura didn't respond. She had begun crying, but no noise came from lips.

The Uchiha gently tugged her arm. "You can't help her, Sakura. Come on."

She snatched her arm away and glared at Sasuke, tears standing in her eyes. "What kind of people would do this to a child?"

"They're not people, Sakura. They're monsters."

"I see you found little Mika." A man with curly brown hair stepped out from a shadowy corner at the back of the cave, his cocky grin revealing razor-like teeth. "She was fun for a few turns. The guys got bored when she stopped crying, so we moved on to the next one."

Sakura slowly rose to her feet, her eyes downcast. Her head snapped up to glare at the monstrous man before her and she let loose a cry of rage, closing the distance between herself and the newcomer. The attack caught him by surprise, and when Sakura's fist connected with his face, his head turned halfway around on his shoulders. Sakura's follow up kick jettisoned him into the rock wall, the force of the blow causing him to sink almost an inch into the solid stone.

Sasuke darted up to her, his sword drawn. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were locked on the motionless man before them. "Sakura-"

Before he could say anything more, the whole cave began to shake violently. The rumble of an explosion found its way to their ears, followed by distant shouting. The two looked at each other, wild-eyed, before their attention was drawn by someone laughing.

The stranger's chest was shaking, and even the stone didn't hide the sound of his mirth. His muscles grew taut as he slowly extricated himself from the indention, dropping down to the earthen floor nonchalantly a moment later. Sakura and Sasuke could only watch in disbelief as the man reached up and gripped his skull, turning it around to face the right direction with a series of sickening crunches. "My, my, I'm sensing some hostility."

"What the hell was that explosion?" Sakura asked, her hands clenched into fists.

The man buffed his fingernails on the front of his light-blue jacket, pausing to examine them in the dim lighting. Glancing up at them, he exclaimed, "Oh! You were talking to me, weren't you?" He smirked at their drawn expressions. "God, take a joke. If you really want to know, you'll have to answer a riddle. How many explosive tags can you cram down a pussy little chuunin's throat before he chokes to death on them?"

Sakura's eyes widened in horror. "You didn't..."

"Oh, but I did!" the man cried, cheerfully. "And your foolish little friend carried him straight into the middle of your group. My men are clearing out whatever survivors are left." He gestured to the violated body of the little girl, "Of course, they've been instructed to be on the lookout for any more of those little beauties."

This time it was Sasuke's attack that struck him. Black fire engulfed his right arm, drawing the first cry of pain either had heard from the man. "Aw shit!" bringing his left hand down on his upper arm, the man severed his arm like it was made of wax. "That actually hurt, you little shit!" Before he could say more, an earthen pillar shot out from the wall behind the man and sent him cartwheeling through the air and out the main gate. Sasuke darted after him, Sakura not far behind. The curly-haired man regained his footing quickly, sprinting away from them and towards the growing light of the exit. While he ran, his missing limb seemed to bubble back into existence from his shoulder.

He burst out into the dim illumination of the overcast sun, the two Konoha ninja only steps behind. He grinned, turning around to face them with his arms outspread. "I'd like you to meet my friends."

Sasuke stared around in disbelief. All around them, on the ground and poised on the cliff face, were enemy ninja. There were hundreds of them, ranging in human sized to muscle-bound giants. Some were carrying swords, others had unfamiliar weapons in their hands. "Who are you?" Sasuke asked, his gaze locking on the ring-leader.

The man smirked, "For the sake of simplicity, you can call me Flagg. Randall Flagg."

OoOoOo

Kiba paced back and forth at his command post in the center of the camp. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. None of his scouts were answering his hails, and some big-ass explosion had nearly shaken the crumbling buildings around his camp to the ground.

Akamaru bounded up to his side, whimpering. His body language was clear, something was wrong.

"What's the matter, Akamaru?" he asked, kneeling down next to his familiar and placing a hand on his furry head.

A metal canister fell from the sky, bouncing across the ground with metallic twangs. Kiba watched in confusion as it slowly rolled to a stop several feet away. A moment later, orange gas began to spew from either side of the cylinder.

Kiba cursed, jumping away from the cloud with Akamaru in-tow. A familiar clanging filled his ears, and he turned to see more cans raining down from the rooftops. It was then that he saw the enemy ninja for the first time, poised along the roofs above, watching him. There were hundreds of them, the dog-ninja had no idea how he hadn't noticed their approach. "Let's go, Akamaru!" he called, leading the canine away from the orange clouds and towards the fringes of the camp.

As they rounded a corner, Kiba saw a group of Konoha shinobi standing around in a circle. They were talking, more than likely bull-shitting to ease the tension before they were deployed again. One of them suddenly snatched something out of the air. Even from where he stood, Kiba could see the canister in the man's hand.

"Get rid of it!" he yelled, succeeding only in drawing the man's attention towards him.

"What was that, K-" The canister erupted into plumes of orange smoke, and the man holding it let go in surprise. His startled gasp for air caused him instead to breathe in a lung-full of the unknown gas. The other men in the group scattered to avoid the cloud, but the man who had taken a breath collapsed to the ground, coughing violently.

Kiba cursed, taking a deep breath and sprinting towards the fallen soldier. He entered the cloud of gas, one hand covering his mouth and nose. With his free hand, he snatched the man up by the collar of his vest and hauled him free of the suffocating fumes. "Come on, buddy," he growled, lowering the ninja to ground gently, "You're gonna be alright. Can you hear me?"

The prone figure went into convulsions, his chest shaking . A bloody froth began to ooze from between his pale lips. His mouth moved like he was trying to speak, but only garbled muttering came out.

Kiba watched in horror as the man slowly stopped moving, his eyes rolling up into his skull. The jounin sighed, shaking his head, and rose to his feet. Akamaru padded up to his side, nudging his hand with his head. Kiba took the hint and began to move towards the outskirts of camp again. "Get the lead out of your asses!" he called to the survivors from the group. "I want every able bodied man and woman to meet me by the water tower in five minutes. Spread the word!"

The men scattered, leaving Kiba and Akamaru to run towards their destination. The two of them hadn't gone ten steps before another gas-can landed in front of them. Kiba changed directions, only to come face-to-face with a canister. It exploded, and Kiba could not stop the startled intake of breath his body made him take. He felt the poison fill his lungs like liquid fire. He grasped a thick handful of Akamaru's mane and threw him clear of the cloud just as every muscle in his body went into convulsions.

Akamaru landed heavily a few meters away, plumes of dust rising around his paws. Rounding, he started back towards his fallen master, but stopped short as a familiar voice echoed through his head._ 'Go, Akamaru! Get to Shikamaru's camp! Find H__inata__!' _The ninja hound had never faced such a decision. He knew his master was in trouble, but Kiba had ordered him to leave, and Akamaru had been taught the importance of never disobeying an order. He cast a final look at prone form of the fallen Inuzuka, then hesitantly turned away.

Kiba watched his faithful companion flee, following his master's last command. Tears burned hot in the Inuzuka's eyes, a deep sense of loss filling him. At the same time, he felt the blisters forming on his lungs and inside his mouth. He took a shaky breath, just as his throat swelled shut, cutting off his oxygen supply. The world around him slowly faded to black as his oxygen deprived body began to shut down.

OoOoOo

"Give me a reason I shouldn't rip your fucking head off right now!" Naruto growled, his ocean-blue eyes turning red. The lines on his face thickened, growing darker, and his hair bristled like an angry dog.

"I'll give ya two!" Obito said cheerfully, pointing to his eyes; both of which were bright and clear.

Naruto advanced towards the other man, unwavering. "Impressive. But that doesn't mean you can just waltz into my village."

Obito held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Easy, big fella, I'm not here to fight."

Naruto gestured to the burning village around him. "Could have fooled me."

The Uchiha shook his head, "This wasn't me, Naruto. You know that the only way for me to regain my eyesight was by destroying the evil in my heart. How could I do that, only to turn around and do this?"

"You have a point," Naruto admitted, backing down. The blue slowly bled back into his eyes as he watched the dark-haired man warily. "Why are you here? I know it has something to do with this battle."

Obito nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "The evil that was clinging to me wasn't just my own hatred. It used my anger to gain a foothold on my soul, then sunk its fangs in for the long-haul. It's the manifestation of that evil that's attacking your village. Two years ago, I finally got up the nerve to kick it out. I was only able to get rid of it by threatening to-"

"-to seal it away," Naruto finished, eyes wide.

Obito raised an eyebrow. "Yes, how did you know that?"

"I'm not sure," Naruto admitted, looking confused. Pressing on, he asked, "What exactly is it?"

"A demon," Obito answered, "One unlike anything ever seen in this dimension. His power dwarfs even the Kyuubi with its might."

Naruto took a moment to absorb what the scarred man had just said. "If this thing is so powerful, why hasn't it just wiped us out. Why raise this army?"

"It needs a vessel; something about this realm corrodes it when it's out in the open. That's why it needed me. After I kicked it out, it vanished. I finally found it in the grass country a little over a year ago, it'd taken over the body of an up-and-coming warlord. That was when it started raising its army."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. "And you just decided to wait until now to bring this news to me?"

Obito glared back at him. "I tried to tell you sooner!" he yelled, exasperated. "I sent dozens of messenger hawks; every one of them came back with their scroll unopened!"

Their gazes remained locked for several moments, Naruto finally relented, nodding his head. "Okay, that was my fault. It's too late to cry about it now, though. How do we stop it?"

"It's not going to be easy," Obito said, shaking his head. "Had we caught it right after it had made the change, the Reaper Death Seal would have been more than adequate to put it out of commission for a few centuries. As it stands, it's had two years to bond to that body. When it caught a ride with me, it was in desperate need of a host, so it couldn't subjugate my mind; this time, it's using a technique that leaves its host completely under its control. There's no way in hell we're gonna rip it out with just a seal."

Naruto slammed his fist into the crumbling wall of a nearby building. "Then what the fuck do we do?"

Obito grinned, his teeth flashing red in fire-light. "That's where you come in, my over-powered friend. Its body, while once human, is now extremely durable. Most attacks won't even harm it. Normal jutsu won't work; no fire-technique will be hot enough; no ice-technique will be cold enough. Blades are out too, it's one-hundred percent steel-proof."

"You're making it sound invincible."

"It practically is. Only a few things can harm it in its current form. One of those things is demonic chakra. You obviously have a surplus of that, so you're a prime candidate."

Naruto scuffed the tip of his sample against the dirt-road. "Okay, so say we destroy this thing. What then? Won't it just jump ship?"

Obito nodded. "Yeah, more-than likely right into a dead body. They don't have a soul to resist it, but that also means they lack an anchor point. That will make it much easier to seal away afterward. I...I'm willing to perform the rite."

The silence hung in the air for a long moment. "Earlier, you said he took over the body of a warlord from the grass country," Naruto said, abruptly changing topics. "I've fought these guys, they talk with a weird accent. It's nothing like anything I've heard in that land before."

The Uchiha wasn't sure what to think of the blond's dismissal of his offer, but chose to let it ride for the moment. "I saw him opening portals more than once, he's been pulling men and resources from whatever realm he came from to stock this army."

"You keep saying that," Naruto growled, "What do you mean 'realm'?"

"I'm not sure, but from what he told me while I was his host, I think there's more than one world out there. Realm, dimension, whatever you want to call it; I think he has the ability to jump through them."

Naruto looked at him incredulously. "I thought you had that power."

"My mangekyo lets me jump to _a _dimension. This guy can go to a whole lot of 'em." Obito closed the distance between them, putting his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "I said earlier that I would perform the Reaper Death Seal. You never said anything back to me, is that okay with you?"

The blond shook free of Obito's grip. "Why would you want to sacrifice yourself for this village?"

Obito's hands clenched into fists at his sides. "You know what I did, Naruto. My actions led to the death of my best friend, and the near-destruction of the home he had died to protect." He met Naruto's eyes. "I want to do this because I owe it to him. I owe it to my former sensei." He was silent for a moment, the final sentence coming out as a whisper, "I owe it to Rin."

"I know what it's like to want to redeem yourself, Obito, but I can't have the fate of this village riding on the hope that you won't betray me." Naruto shook his head, "I can't take that chance."

Obito walked over to a nearby building. Stopping in the door frame, he bit his thumb and used the blood to paint several characters on the weathered wood. He ignored Naruto's questioning as he formed hand signs, then pressed the bloody digit against his own forehead in the same place Naruto had done so five years ago. A glowing strand of chakra appeared in the air, connecting the bloody splotch on his forehead to the characters on the door frame. "I, Obito Uchiha, commit myself to the service of Naruto Uzumaki. I shall follow his orders without question for the rest of my days, without fail." The glowing faded away, leaving the kanji burned into the frame.

Naruto stared at the other man in shock. A chakra oath was unbreakable, if Naruto told the Uchiha to cut off his own fingers right now, he would have to do so without blinking. "Obito, you..."

"I have to do this, Naruto. Give me the order, and I will seal that monster away."

Naruto was silent for a long moment, then took a long shaky breath. "Okay, Obito, I'll let you have your redemption."

Obito stuck out his hand, and Naruto only looked at it for a long moment. Slowly, he reached out and took it. "Thank you, Naruto."

"I don't like you, Obito," Naruto said, his eyes cold like ice. "But I admire you for what you're doing. I'll see to it that your name is put back on the memorial stone."

In the distance, a massive explosion lit up the horizon.

OoOoOo

Chouji wasn't sure what had happened. One moment, the enemy flank was breaking and its soldiers were turning to flee; the next, a man had stepped around a corner with what appeared to be twisted staff of black metal held in his hands. The man had pointed the staff at Chouji, the sound of firecrackers had filled the air, and a white hot pain had blossomed in the Akamichi's right shoulder. He had fallen to his current position at the base of roof's ledge, clutching his shoulder.

Ino was at his side a moment later, holding her glowing hands to his wound. "Hold on, Chouji, I'll get you patched up."

Chouji's lips were pressed into a tight line as the medic ninja's chakra mended his flesh. "Thanks," he grunted, his eyes clenched shut. "What the hell was that?"

"I don't know," the blonde admitted. "It's some sort of projectile weapon, though. He's taken out two other ninja from the distraction team, and he's injured another."

The repetitive retort of the man's weapon filled the air again, mixed with a woman's scream. "That's good enough," Chouji said, pulling away from the medic. "Go help the others. Keep your head down."

"Chouji, wait, I-"

"Ino, I know you normally take charge; but for the duration of this mission, I'm the leader." His eyes were hard when he looked at her. "Go!"

The young Yamanaka watched him for a long moment. "Yes, sir," Ino answered in a clipped tone, darting away along the protective wall of the rooftop.

Chouji reached into his weapon pouch, withdrawing his food-capsule case. Popping the yellow one into his mouth, he launched himself over the wall and down into the street below. As he fell, he flashed through hand signs, his body swelling up and forming a ball. "Human Boulder!" he bellowed, crashing into the ground and rolling full speed at the man and his foreign weapon.

The enemy brought his weapon to bear on the gigantic human rolling towards him. Sparks flew from Chouji's armor as the weapon discharged its payload on him. He slammed full force into the figure a moment later, sending him careening through a shop window.

The Akamichi canceled his jutsu, launching himself through the shattered window and on top of his fallen adversary. His meaty fist made harsh contact with the other man's jaw, but the man seemed unaffected. Bucking upwards, he threw Chouji's considerable girth across the room like a rag-doll. He brought the weapon to bear on the defenseless ninja, but a kunai thrown from the rooftops sent its barrel off course an instant before it spewed another round of projectiles, where they bounced harmlessly off the stone floor.

Chouji took the opportunity to go back on the offensive. "Partial Expansion Technique!" he cried, swinging a super-sized hand around to send the man flying back into the street. The man landed hard on his back and didn't rise. Stepping out into the open, Chouji cast a wary eye around the battlefield.

"It's clear!" a scout from atop a nearby water tower called. "Looks like his buddies left him to die! What's the matter, bitch? You don't have any friends?"

Chouji smirked, his eyes locked on the seemingly unconscious man before him. Reaching down, he grabbed the metal staff and jerked it out of the man's slack grasp. He held it out, and a moment later a young chuunin rushed up to take it from him. "Get that back to Shikamaru, he needs to see it."

Ino jumped down, landing at his side gracefully. "That was reckless," she chided, poking him in the chest accusingly. "Are you okay?" she added in a more concerned tone.

Chouji rubbed the back of his head, grinning sheepishly as more of his squad gathered around them. "Yeah, sorry about that. You s-" Out of the corner of his eye, Chouji saw the prone man take what looked like an egg carved out of metal from his pocket and pull a ring from its top.

"Boom," the man growled angrily.

"Get back!" Chouji screamed, shoving Ino harshly away. His hands moved through seals faster than they ever had before. "Partial Expansion Technique," he breathed, his left arm multiplying to over ten times its original size. He slammed it down on top of the egg, his fingers digging several inches into the ground to trap the explosion between him and his pinned opponent.

It exploded with a muffled bang.

OoOoOo

Shikamaru watched the village below him burning in the early morning light. He was perched on the side of a lookout tower, trying to get a read on his situation. A few minutes ago, a gigantic explosion had rung through the whole city, and Shikamaru was sure that it had emanated from where Sasuke and Sakura's group had last reported in. He took a drag from the cigarette in his left hand. While he wouldn't call it a habit, smoking made him feel closer to his departed teacher, and therefore helped him think straight.

Of course, it didn't necessarily mean their group had been hit. There was an innumerable amount of ways to explain that explosion. After all, communication was shoddy at best, they could just be out of radio contact... He shook his head violently. "Hope for the best, plan for the worst," he muttered, flicking away the depleted cigarette-butt.

His sight was drawn to his far left, where he saw something shimmer in the distance. His eyes narrowed, focusing on the minute details before him. He picked out a small flag fluttering on the side of a window about twenty meters away, or more specifically, its shadow. Or lack there of, as the case was. He looked over his shoulder at the sun's current position. He nodded slowly to himself. Genjutsu, no doubt about it.

As nonchalantly as he could, he dropped back down onto the street and made his way back to camp. His mind was racing a mile a minute, thinking of strategies and throwing them out the same instant. His next move would decide the fate of his entire platoon, he couldn't make a mistake.

He arrived at his command tent to find a scout standing at its entrance. He immediately recognized the man to be from the same unit he had sent with Chouji. "Report."

The man nodded his head at the young General. "Yes, sir. Commander Akamichi recovered a weapon from the enemy platoon we routed. He believed it would be of interest to you." The scout held up a long piece of machined metal for him to take.

Shikamaru reached out and gripped the cool metal. "What's it do?" He asked, turning it over and over in his hands.

"It fires projectiles, sir. Not sure how it does it, but it sounds and smells like a firework when it goes off."

The spiky-haired youth gave the weapon another once over, then rested the tip on the ground, his hands intertwined on its flat bottom. "How're your numbers?"

"Two dead, two wounded last I was there." He nodded at the weapon. "Commander Akamichi took a hit from that thing, but Ino fixed him up."

Shikamaru felt a knot loosen in the pit of his stomach. His friends were alive. "Okay. Thanks, you're dismissed."

As the scout turned to leave, hell broke loose.

OoOoOo

A hand tangled itself in Sakura's pink locks, pulling her backwards and off her feet. Her first thought was that Sasuke had betrayed her, but that suspicion was put to rest by the sound of him grunting in pain to her right. She was pulled away from the cave, her feet scrambling for purchase on the packed earth. Her elbow shot back to strike her opponent in his gut, but made contact with what felt like a brick wall. She grunted low in her chest as pain shot up her arm like a lightning bolt.

"Feisty," Flagg's voice mocked. How had he gotten behind her?

She was twisted roughly around so she was facing Sasuke, who was doubled over on his knees. The next moment, she felt the cold bite of steel on her throat. "You think you scare me?" she asked in a flat tone.

Flagg whistled appreciatively. "Damn, lady, you have bigger balls than some men I know." His hand fell down and patted her softly on the stomach. "Of course, you've got more lives to protect than just your own. You might want to watch your tone." The demon tapped his foot on the ground, and the stone below their feet rose into the air, lifting them on a pillar ten meters into the air.

Below them, Sasuke had recovered from the blow to his gut and had risen to his feet. "Let her go!"

Flagg smirked, "Nah, I think Mommy here is gonna hang out with Uncle Flagg. What do ya say, Sweetie, how about you and me show Queer-Boy here how you and Blondie made that baby?"

Sakura struggled more, the blade drawing a thin line of blood from her throat. "Get off of me, you freak!"

"You know, maybe we can work out a deal." Flagg's voice was sickeningly-sweet as he spoke.

"What are you asking?" Sasuke growled.

Flagg's face split into a wolfish grin. A man standing on a nearby rooftop threw a kunai into the ground at Sasuke's feet. "I'll let this little bitch go, if you take that knife right there and carve out that nasty little fire-spitter you call an eye."

Sakura thrashed, "What kind of deal is that, you can't-"

Sasuke didn't blink. "If I do, I have your word that you'll release her?" Flagg's only response was a nod. "Then you have a deal."

"Sasuke!? You can't be serious, you-"

Flagg giggled, his voice high-pitched and reminiscent of schoolgirl. "Now that's what I like to hear! Show me what you've got, Uchiha!"

Sasuke snatched the blade from the Earth, wiping it clean on his shirt. Holding the knife in his right hand, the Uchiha untied the knot holding his sword to his back and held the sheathed blade up in plain view. When Flagg motioned that it was okay for him to continue, Sasuke drew the sword with the same hand he held the kunai. With practiced ease, he slung the sword to the side where it stood point down in the soil several meters away.

He brought the sheath up with his free hand, placing the polished wood between his teeth. He took a steadying breath and locked eyes with Sakura, who was watching him in wordless shock. He had promised Naruto that he would do anything to protect the kunoichi, and Sasuke was a man of his word. Using his left hand to hold his eye open, Sasuke brought the kunai forward, its tip blurring out of focus as it closed in on his defenseless orb.

His motions were mechanical, his muscles stiff to prevent any involuntary jumps. Sakura's sharp intake of breath was easily heard as he made the first cut, even through the haze of pain. It only took a few seconds for the vision to go black in his left eye. That made it easier, somehow. He tried telling himself that the eye was beyond saving now, that he had to finish. Crimson rivers flowed down his cheek, staining his flak-jacket and shirt.

Finished cutting the optic nerve, he dropped the blood-splattered kunai to the ground, the sheath falling from between his teeth, and scooped the shredded mass of what had been his eye out of its socket. On impulse, he took a step forward and slung it at Sakura's captor. "There! Now let her go!"

Flagg snatched the eyeball out of the air, his teeth flashing. "I'll admit it, Queero, you have got one hell of a pair." He snickered, "Well, not a pair of _eyes_, but you know what I mean."

Sasuke's stomach turned as the demon's tongue darted out, pulling what was left of Sasuke's eye into its mouth. "We had a deal!"

The curly-haired man chewed thoughtfully. "Eh, I still like strawberry jelly more, but not bad. I'd give it a seven out of ten," he said, swallowing.

"Let her go!" he yelled, holding a hand over his eye socket.

"Oh, right. Well, a deal's a deal. Here ya go!" Flagg pressed down on the knife, and time seemed to slow as he drew it sharply across her throat. Sakura's eyes snapped wide-open in shock. The razor edge sliced cleanly through her jugular vein, cardioid artery, and trachea. Blood spewed out of her slashed throat spraying a rain of crimson droplets with every beat of her heart.

Sasuke roared in anger, jumping towards them. Flagg grinned, shoving Sakura's dying form forward and off the pillar, forcing Sasuke to stop his advance to catch her.

"Take care of the Uchiha." Flagg seemed to fade out of existence.

Sasuke fell back to Earth, the wounded kunoichi held tight to his chest. He cradled Sakura's limp form as she struggled to breath, heedless of the enemy soldiers closing in on him. "Sakura, stay with me! Come on!" he held a glowing hand over her throat, using what little medical ninjutsu he knew to try and help his dying teammate. It wasn't working, her flesh refused to knit back together. "Damn it! You're going to be okay!"

Sakura tried to speak, but only succeeded in producing a bloody foam that rose past her lips and rolled down her face onto the ground below. Her right hand scrabbled in the dirt, and it took Sasuke a moment to realize that she was writing something. She abruptly stopped writing in the dust, her hand rising to touch his cheek. Her emerald-green eyes met his remaining coal-black one, and her bloody lips curled up an a weak smile.

Her hand fell to the side, limply. Sasuke watched as his childhood friend's eyes slowly glazed over and became unseeing. Swallowing a lump in his throat, Sasuke dispelled the chakra from around his hand. With unsteady fingers, her carefully closed her eyes, then folded her hands over her heart. He stood up straight, his gaze flickering to her message in the dirt. There was one sentence, the characters sloppy but readable.

"I forgive you, Sasuke." The words felt flat on his tongue as he read them out loud once more. Nothing seemed real anymore, what did they even mean?

The swish of a blade flying through the air drew the young Uchiha's attention. He instinctively sidestepped, the enemy's sword bouncing harmlessly off the ground below, and brought the heel of his hand up into the bottom of the woman's nose, killing her instantly. He pulled the blade free of her slack fingers and slung it point-first into the chest of his next closest assailant-who fell down like a puppet with its strings cut. His body moved of its own volition, darting to the side to snatch up his own discarded katana. Something had changed inside the depths of his soul. The avenger had re-awoken.

Sasuke fell upon them like an enraged demon.

OoOoOo

Randall Flagg strolled into what was left of the Konoha evacuation party's camp, whistling a cheery tune and spinning a shuriken on his fore-finger. Soldiers were in a flurry of motion around him, chasing down and either killing or capturing any surviving civilians; none of them even paused to look at the strangely dressed man walking in their midst. He stopped short, suddenly uneasy. The shuriken stopped its spiraling motion, and his ears perked up to detect any unusual noises.

What sounded like chirping birds suddenly erupted behind him, and Flagg spun around just in time to be impaled by the lightning covered fist of Sasuke Uchiha. The dark-haired youth's face was twisted in fury, his Sharingan glowing ominously in his one remaining eye. "Go to hell, you bastard!" Sasuke spat, dislodging his arm and jumping away.

Flagg looked down at the gaping wound, then back up his attacker, his eyes wide. His surprised features splitting into a grin, he pointed at the hole in his chest. "I'm sorry, am I supposed to die now?" he asked, cheerily. His face contorted in feigned agony and he stuck out his tongue. "Bleh." A moment passed, and he cracked an eye open. "How was that? Passable?"

Sasuke stared at the man before him. "What the fuck are you?" he asked, his voice filled with awe.

Flagg began walking towards him, making Sasuke back-pedal out of sheer instinct. "Haven't you figured it out yet?" he asked, the wound in his chest shrinking away until it finally closed completely. "I am the most powerful force in this universe! I am your ruler. I am your king. I am your god! Everything you do is for my amusement."

Sasuke suddenly halted his retreat, his composure returning. "A god is invincible. I've seen you in pain, you're no god."

"I'm the closest thing to one you'll ever meet. Compared to me, you are nothing. The only weapon you had that could harm me was that hell-fire you summoned, and I've made sure that there will be no more of that."

The Uchiha launched himself at the demon, his sword falling in a wide arch. Flagg grinned, not moving a muscle as the sword bore down on him. It connected with the side of his throat, then snapped in half like it was made of glass. Sasuke stared in disbelief as the top three-quarters of his blade spun away and buried themselves in a storefront wall. Flagg took the opportunity to snag Sasuke by his throat, lifting him up into the air. The diminished remains of Sasuke's sword fell to the ground with a clang as he reached up to grip his assailant's wrist.

"I'm impressed you're still alive, there were over thirty men back there," Sasuke glared down at the demon, unable to speak. "It's no matter though. Those men were expendable, I can always get more. In fact, you're just in time to see me start my end game!" As he spoke, Flagg's body seemed to split in two. The clone, which was a perfect copy of the original, walked towards the center of the encampment. It raised its arms, and the air above it seemed to shift and morph. "What you've seen so far is only the vanguard of my forces. I'm about to show you the bulk of my army!"

Sasuke's fingers wrapped around Flagg's wrist, trying to snap it. He was grunting deep in his chest, putting every ounce of his energy into breaking his enemy's hold. Flagg merely rolled his eyes at Sasuke's pitiful struggles. Flicking his wrist, he sent the Uchiha careening into the side of a building which collapsed on top of him. "Just sit back and enjoy the show, Princess."

The enraged youth exploded from the debris, launching himself at Flagg once again. "Fireball technique!" The gigantic ball of heat slammed into the Flagg that had been holding him, causing him to explode into a cloud of black smoke. Sasuke had only a moment to register the fact that what had been holding him before was only a clone before a foot crashed into his face, smashing his nose almost flat against his skull.

"I told you it won't work. Give up, save yourself the trouble of dying a slow death!"

Sasuke reeled from the blow, blood flowing freely from his badly broken nose. A Chidori formed in either hand, and he shot forward like a bolt of lightning towards Flagg. The demon moved faster than even Sasuke's Sharingan could follow. He appeared above the Uchiha, snagging him by the hair, and pivoted to slam the younger man into the ground with enough force to break windows in the surrounding buildings. The lightning faded from around Sasuke's still clenched fist.

Sasuke stubbornly extricated himself from the ground, climbing to his feet with stiff jerky motions. He jumped up onto a nearby rooftop as his hands blurred into motion. Above him, the sky grew pitch black, and Sasuke raised his hand towards the brewing storm cloud. "Kirin!" he cried, lightning crackling around him. Flagg watched with a bored expression as the young Uchiha brought his arm down in a sharp arc, yelling, "Now vanish, with the thunderclap!"

A gigantic, dragon-like bolt of lightning shot from the sky, striking Flagg in the center of his head. Electricity arced over his skin, setting his clothes aflame in several places. A boom echoed across the battlefield as air rushed to fill the vacuum created by the lightning-bolt. Around him, the ground was badly charred, but Flagg stood in the same spot as he had been before, unharmed.

He licked his thumb and used it to snuff one of the flames burning on his jacket with a hiss. "Are you going to believe me now?" He asked, his razor teeth flashing. "There is _nothing_ you can do to stop me."

Sasuke stared down at the creature below him, his eye wide in disbelief. He had just used the strongest technique he knew, and he hadn't even scratched that monster. Sasuke's fists clenched at his sides, his fingernails drawing rivulets of blood from his palms. Taking a deep breath, he charged at the demon again, screaming.

"Oh, for fuck's sake!" Flagg growled, not even raising his hands in defense as the wounded man approached him. "You're out of chakra, Queero. Even if you weren't, you still couldn't stop me."

Sasuke crashed into the rock-solid form of Randall Flagg, but instead of going on the offensive, he wrapped his arms around the demon's chest in a crushing bear-hug. "Burn, you son of a bitch!" The air around them crackled with energy as Sasuke screamed at the top of his lungs, "Northern Dragon Seal: Release!"

Flagg didn't have time to think before black fire engulfed him and the Uchiha embracing him. It only took a millisecond for the otherworldly fire to move from within the seal to coat their entire bodies. Sasuke's body disintegrated almost instantly from the heat, and only Flagg's demonic healing abilities stopped him from following suit. Even with all his power, Flagg couldn't put out the flames of Amataratsu- he would have to abandon the body he had been working to perfect for so long. Endless hours spent altering his vessel right down to its physical appearance wasted. To say he was angry would have been an understatement. One thing was for sure; Flagg didn't have time to subjugate a living body to his will, but he still needed it to be fresh.

The fire still burning around him, he cast his eyes around for a suitable target. They finally fell on a young man who had been watching the battle in awe. Flagg flicked his pinky-finger and the man's head twisted to the side with an audible crunch. In the same instant, Flagg's soul shot out of his burning corpse and into its new home before it had even fallen down.

Flagg reached up, grabbing the dark-haired head by its ears and twisting it roughly back into place. The form that had been Flagg regained its pre-Flagg consciousness just long enough to let loose a shrill cry before it too perished. He watched his former body burn away, then stepped up to observe the splotches of ash on the ground where he and the Uchiha had fought. Those two smudges were the only evidence that either of the two men had ever even existed.

"Sasuke Uchiha," he said, testing his new voice out. "That was a clever move. But not quite clever enough. Game, set, match." He spat on the smudge that had been the young avenger, then turned back to where his portal was forming. Or had been forming, rather. The air was still- his portal had closed during his altercation with the Uchiha. He raised his arms, intent on opening the portal again, only to realize that he couldn't. In his current form, he didn't have enough control over his powers to alter the fabric of reality.

He snarled, storming away. He knew he could still destroy the sniveling ninja of Konoha, but it would take much more careful planning than he had originally intended. "No matter," he growled, the corner of his new face twitching into a smirk, "I love a challenge.

OoOoOoOoOo

**Well, there's chapter two. Remember to drop me a review and let me know what you think!**


	3. ACT I Part 3: Let it Burn

**A.N. A little bit later than I planned, but here's chapter three! The delay can mostly be attributed to my addiction to Mass Effect 3 online, and the build-up to my college classes commencing once again. That being said, my work load is shaping up to be considerably heavier this year, which could have a negative effect on my writing speed. I will strive to keep updating at a decent pace, but no promises can be made to how often I will manage to produce a chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't be working my way through community college with a job at a popular home improvement chain that rhymes with hoes.**

OoOoOoOo

Chapter 3: Let it Burn

"Come on!" Konohamaru shouted, looking over his shoulder at the family of five following him. "We're almost there. The rescue party is just a few hundred meters-"

A flash of light filled the sky before them, followed by a massive boom. A moment later, a wave of heat rushed down the alleyway, ruffling their clothing. The woman clutched her baby to her breast as it began to wail; the man pulled his young son and daughter closer to his side. "What the hell just happened?" he yelled, obviously terrified.

Konohamaru was watching the smoke rising from where he knew Sasuke's camp had stopped, his jaw hanging open. That's when the screaming began, mixed with a loud popping that the newly promoted jounin had never heard before. "Y-you all need to hide." He took a deep breath, and forced the waver out of his voice. "I have to find out what just happened."

He led them into a nearby house, his senses on high alert. When they reached the back room, Konohamaru cautiously opened the closet door. Once he had confirmed that it was indeed empty he waved the family inside, "I'm going to set up some traps on the outside of the door," Konohamaru said, pulling some wire from a pouch on his hip. "You shouldn't need them. It looks like the enemy has been through here already, if you stay quiet they won't find you."

"Thank you," the woman whispered. "If you hadn't come along when you did. I...We..."

The man wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders. "You saved us, young man. You deserve a goddamn medal."

The young Sarutobi blushed, scratching the bridge of his nose. "Well...I...Um..."

"M-mr. Ninja?" a little voice said meekly. Konohamaru looked down, surprised to see the little boy looking up at him. His twin sister still had her face buried in her father's pant leg, but the boy had moved a few steps towards the dark-haired youth. "Y-you're gonna beat up the b-bad guys, r-right?"

Konohamaru grinned, ruffling the child's hair with one hand. "That's the plan, little guy. You hold tight here- protect your family. I'll be back soon." As the boy smiled up at him, Konohamaru closed the closet the door and set to work securing the room.

It took several minutes for him to finish his work, when he stepped out of the building he was surprised to see that a heavy storm cloud had settled above the village. In a way, he figured it suited the day's events. War shouldn't be sunny.

He had closed over half the distance between himself and Sasuke's camp when the sky flashed with light again. Konohamaru was momentarily blinded as lightning streaked across the sky, burning a shape reminiscent to a dragon into the young man's vision. He was questioning the ghostly after-image of the lightning-bolt when the ground practically shook with the thunder. Konohamaru redoubled his effort, sprinting towards the source of what he suspected was not a natural storm.

He entered the remnants of Sasuke's rescue camp unopposed, its raiders supposedly gone. After taking a few steps, Konohamaru stopped, staring around the area wide-eyed. A crater stood in the middle of the camp, surrounded by a patch of destruction several dozen meters in every direction. Bodies littered the road, some of them burned and some of them stabbed. Who had done this?

His attention was drawn by the sound of shouting nearby. Was that Sasuke? He darted towards the sound, his feet beating a rapid cadence on the dirt-road.

"Burn, you son of a bitch!"

That was definitely Sasuke's voice. Konohamaru rounded the corner and was greeted with the sight of the Uchiha hugging a man with curly, brown hair. The next moment, the two of them were engulfed in an inferno of black flames. Then Sasuke was gone, and the other man was standing by himself, the black fire roaring around him.

The man's eyes cast around before finally coming to rest on him. A deep cold set into Konohamaru's gut, and the scream died in his throat as his head twisted harshly to the side. The last thing he registered was the deafening crack of his neck breaking.

OoOoOo

Shikamaru ducked behind the crumbling remains of a nearby food-stand as another round of explosive weapon-fire filled the air with noise. It didn't matter, he had seen what he had needed to. The Nara's fingers formed a rat seal, causing the shadow of his cover to stretch out in a long tendril. It closed the distance fast and soon had the gunman in its grip. The other invaders didn't realize what had happened until their ally had turned the weapon on them, mowing them down in seconds.

"Now!" Shikamaru shouted, jumping out from behind cover and sprinting towards the remains of the enemy platoon. The enemy ensnared by his jutsu copied his movements, unable to fight the possession. As they closed the distance, Shikamaru drew a kunai from a holster on his wrist; unfortunately for his enthralled enemy, Shikamaru had drawn the blade from a place that the other man didn't have a weapon. Shikamaru released his jutsu milliseconds before his knife sunk to the hilt in his victim's chest, batting the other man's arm harmlessly aside with his free hand.

Behind him dozens of Konoha shinobi rushed the enemy line. Faced with the fury of the leaf ninja, it only took seconds for the demoralized group to break ranks and retreat. Trained never to show mercy during war, the enraged ninja targeted their enemies' backs, virtually wiping out the entire platoon. Shikamaru raised a hand when only one attacker was left. A young woman, maybe in her mid-twenties, was frantically hurdling over the fallen bodies of her comrades.

Shikamaru's eyes flickered to the dead Konoha shinobi strewn haphazardly about the street. All of those wasted lives. His face drew into a frown, and he brought his hand down sharply. The next moment, multiple kunai and shuriken sprouted from the woman's back. She stumbled several feet, then fell to her knees, screaming. She raised her arms, trying to reach back between her shoulder blades to grasp the protruding handle of a kunai.

Even from his location several dozen meters away, Shikamaru could here her chanting, "Oh God. Oh God. Please, no, I don't wanna die!"

Before Shikamaru could give the order to put the woman down, a kunai struck her between the eyes with such force that it went almost completely through her skull. It came to a stop with the blade protruding from the back of her head, its hilt still hidden inside her brain. Her body went limp and she slumped to the ground, dead, her fingers still wrapped around the handle sticking out of her back.

Shikamaru scanned the battlefield, searching for the one who had thrown the weapon. His gaze was drawn to a lone figure, walking towards his group from the hostile zone. As the person got closer, Shikamaru let out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He raised one hand, waving at the other man, "Oi, Konohamaru!"

Konohamaru returned the wave, and the platoon of Konoha ninja burst into cheers. The young Sarutobi jogged up, and as he got closer Shikamaru could see that he wasn't injured. In fact, the kid looked like he hadn't even been fighting. "Hey, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru shook the young Jounin's hand, smiling. "It's good to see you, we could use the help."

The dark-haired boy returned the smile, his teeth flashing. "Damn straight! I've been looking for you forever! The Hokage sent me, there's news from the eastern front."

The Nara stared at Konohamaru for a moment, then nodded his head. "Okay, let's head back to headquarters, we can discuss the intel there."

OoOoOo

Naruto missed a step, his feet tangled together, and he crashed to the ground with a thud. Obito was by his side in a moment, pulling the fallen Uzumaki to his feet. "Are you okay, Naruto?"

"Sasuke activated his seal," Naruto said flatly. "He's dead."

"What?" Obito asked, clearly confused. "What do you mean he's dead? What seal?"

The blond took a shaky breath, fighting to keep his emotions in check. He managed to give Obito a rundown on his agreement with the Raikage without trouble; but as he went on to explain that Sasuke had used the seal of his own volition, Naruto could feel the tears welling unbidden in his eyes. He wiped them away with the heel of his hand, ruthlessly crushing his emotions. "He must have had a reason, we need to find out what it was."

It didn't take them long to reach the location of all the recent activity. The battlefield was pretty beat up, but Naruto immediately recognized the remains of Sasuke's katana. He reached down, picking up the broken sword by its hilt. "It's Sasuke's..." he murmured, taking in his surroundings as he straightened back up. His eyes fell on a swath of the road that had been charred black by fire.

Obito knelt down in the soot, touching it lightly with his fingers. "Amataratsu...there's no doubt about it..."

Naruto was silent for a time, his expression thoughtful. Suddenly, he dropped down to the ground, sitting with his legs crossed. "I'm going to absorb some of the residual chakra in the area. I might be able to figure out what happened here." He paused, setting the sword to the side so that his hands were free to form the ram seal, then added, "Watch my back."

The blond sat like that for several minutes, his eyes closed, while Obito stood guard at his side. Soon, Naruto's eyes opened a crack and he climbed to his feet. "Well?" asked Obito, "What did you see?"

"Sasuke..." Naruto's gaze flickered to the two places where the soot was thickest, "He activated the seal here. Why would he use the seal though? He can use the Amatarasu at will, he shouldn't have had to resort to using this."

Obito looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking. "Perhaps his Sharingan were rendered inert? You've done the same to me, maybe he was fighting a seal master?"

Konoha's Hokage didn't look convinced. "You could be right, I suppose." Naruto reached down and retrieved the broken sword, hefting it in his hand. The weight of the sword shifted slightly as something inside the hilt slid around. Naruto's eyebrows drew together in surprise. Turning it over so that the bottom of the handle was pointing towards his face, Naruto felt along the sides until he felt a hidden latch. He depressed it, causing the bottom of the hilt to pop open on an internal spring. The blond tilted it down, which caused a small tightly wound scroll fall into the palm of his hand.

Obito whistled appreciatively. "Bonus prizes."

Naruto fixed the Uchiha with a withering look. "Shut up, Obito." At his words, Obito's mouth closed with an audible clack. His attention returning to the scroll in his hands, Naruto pulled the string from around the rolled paper and unfurled it smoothly. His eyes scanned the contents of the scroll, reading it twice for good measure. When he was done, he looked back at Obito and asked, "Did the demon you to told me about refer to himself as Flagg?"

Obito nodded, making a muffled sound low in his chest. It took Naruto a moment to remember that he had ordered the Uchiha to stop talking, so he gave him permission to speak. Obito coughed, pounding his fist against his chest. "Goddammit, don't do that!" Clearing his throat, he went on to say, "Yeah, I'm guessing that's who Sasuke was fighting? Poor bastard."

"Sasuke said that the guy had his neck broken, and he just spun his head back the right way and went about his business like nothing had happened. Sound like your guy?" When Obito nodded his affirmation, Naruto continued. "Sasuke said he lost an eye in the fighting, but he still intended to take out Flagg." Naruto's gaze flickered to the burn marks on the ground, "Did he kill it?"

Obito stroked his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "Technically, Amatarasu flames aren't a typical jutsu. It is possible that they could have harmed Flagg." He gestured towards where Sasuke and Randall had had their final confrontation. "That being said, Flagg isn't dead. Even if Sasuke did destroy his body, which will definitely be a huge advantage in the future, Flagg would have just jumped ship into the closest unoccupied vessel."

Naruto looked up at the monument looming above. He took a deep breath, then started walking towards the path that led up to the hidden bunkers. "Let's go, Obito."

The dark-haired man started following him but it was clear that he was confused. "Where are we going? Flagg's gonna be where the fighting is thickest."

"In his note, Sasuke said that it was important that I went to the bunkers as soon as I found his message. He didn't say why, but Sasuke wouldn't have bothered telling me if it wasn't important." Silence fell between them as their feet ate up the distance separating them from the bunkers.

"Looks like we're getting close..." Obito observed as they passed the decapitated body of one of Flagg's men.

The number of dead increased as they went further up the mountain- the majority of them from injuries inflicted by a blade. Naruto's fist clenched tighter around the hilt of the blade he knew had caused the damage. To his disgust, Naruto found himself enjoying the sight; after all, every dead enemy soldier meant one less person looking to kill his people. Naruto pushed past the thought, doggedly putting one foot in front of the other. Soon, they reached the top of their climb and were met with a battlefield. The entire expanse of flat ground that led up to the bunker's entrance was littered with dozens of bodies. It stank of death, and the ground had been stained crimson with blood.

"Damn, Sasuke tore them a new ass, didn't he?" Obito asked, chuckling as he stepped up to Naruto's side where he had stopped walking.

The blond gave no indication of hearing him; his eyes were locked on a pink-haired form several dozen meters before them. It was as if the world had been put on mute. Naruto's feet felt like lead; his mouth was filled with cotton and he couldn't seem to get enough air into his lungs. "No..." he whispered, taking an unsteady step forward, followed by another, before breaking into a run,. As he closed in, Naruto could see the blood soaking Sakura's torso.

The blade fell to the ground with a clatter as Naruto slid to a stop next to her, his feet sliding haphazardly in the dust. "No...No, no, no..." He repeated the word over and over, his voice becoming more and more desperate each time, as he tried to figure out what to do. Naruto put one hand on the wound that had ended Sakura's life, his hand suffused with chakra. "Please, Sakura, wake up!" He poured energy into her body, desperately trying to undo the fatal injury.

Obito approached from behind him, clearing his throat in an attempt to get Naruto's attention. "Naruto, she's-"

Naruto's head snapped back to look at the Uchiha over his shoulder. His eyes, tinged with red, locked with the other man's. "Go away!"

Obito looked taken aback, then nodded his head. "Yes, sir. Call me when I can be of service." With that, the Uchiha slowly faded out of existence like a cloud of smoke.

Now alone, Naruto turned his attention back to his wife's cooling body. He was by no means a medical ninja, and the fact that the wound was still gaping was testament to that. "Don't leave me, Sakura. Please!"

This time, the voice that interrupted him came from inside of his head. _'Naruto. She's gone, there's nothing you can do for her now.'_

Naruto's eyes widened, "Kurama!" he cried, hope in his voice. "Y-you can do something right? Please, help her!"

_'Naruto...It's not that simple.'_

"Yes it is! You've grew back my limbs! You've fixed my broken spine! Hell, you've regrown my heart! Something like this should be child's play to you! Do something, I know you can!"

_'Damn it, Naruto, think!'_ the demon's voice roared inside of his head. _'Yes, I did those things, but in all cases they had been recent! Your brain hadn't been deprived of oxygen for more then a few moments! Sakura's been here long enough for her body temperature to drop noticeably!'_ Kurama's tone softened, and Naruto could hear the concern laced into his words. _'I know it's hard, Naruto, but she's beyond saving. Yes, I could revive her body, but her brain is dead too- that's something even I can't fix. If I brought her back, she would not be as you knew her; she couldn't even function as a human being.'_

The chakra faded from around Naruto's hand and he sat back, his face blank. Slowly, he pulled Sakura's body into his lap, cradling her form against his chest. He stared down at her face; her image blurred as tears filled his eyes. "I love you, Sakura." His hand fell to rest on her stomach and a fresh bolt of pain shot through his heart. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you...O-or our b-b-baby... Please, S-S-Sakura, I'm s-so s-s-sor-ry." His words, which had started as a soft whisper, quickly degenerated into sobs as he clutched his wife's body closer to his own.

Naruto Uzumaki, the most powerful ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village, turned his head up to the sky and wailed as his home fell to ruins around him.

OoOoOo

Loud ringing filled Ino's ears, blocking out all other noise. What had happened? Chouji had beaten the guy with the crazy weapon and then...

The explosion! Ino's eyes snapped open and she rolled over onto her stomach. Getting one foot under her body, she used her arms and that leg to push herself up into a standing position. She looked around but saw no sign of her teammate. "Chouji! Where are-" She started to shout, but stopped mid-way out of confusion. Using one hand to gently touch the side of her head, Ino pulled it back to reveal digits slick with blood. "Burst eardrums," she murmured, the sound of her own words not reaching her ears.

She took a step forward and nearly collapsed; a sign that her equilibrium had been thrown off by the explosion as well. She took a deep breath, then struggled forward, her eyes scanning for any sign of the Akimichi. Her gaze settled on a nearby pile of rubble that had a pool of blood growing steadily bigger around it.

Her heart raced in her chest as she darted over to the pile of rock and wood. With reckless abandon, the youngest member of the Yamanaka clan dug through the debris. As she pulled away a rock the size of her head, Ino caught her first glimpse of Chouji's familiar brown hair. "Chouji!" she screamed, throwing the chunk of concrete over her shoulder, "Hold on just a little longer! I'm going to get you out of there!" If he replied, Ino couldn't hear him.

A Jounin in his mid-forties appeared beside her, and Ino turned her head in time to read the last few words on his lips. "-elp you, ma'am."

The blonde nodded her head vigorously, "Thank you." To the other ninja, her words surely sounded out of pitch- he didn't call notice to it though. Instead, he set to work rescuing his trapped commander and Ino started back a millisecond later.

It only took a minute or two more before the large, unconscious man had been completely extricated from the rubble. It was now that the full extent of his injuries became clear. Blood leaked from his ears, mouth, and nose; damage from the explosive's shock-wave no doubt. But what truly terrified Ino was the state of his left arm, which had been shredded in the explosion. His hand and over half of his forearm were missing, and what remained was a twisted mess of flesh and bone.

Ino's hand unconsciously came up to cover her mouth as her stomach turned. Her medical mind, however, was examining the situation with a calm that only came with years of experience. Chouji was losing a lot of blood, and the best way to get it to stop in their current situation was by cauterizing the wound. This was complicated, however, by the damage to his upper arm. As much as she hated to admit it, she knew there was only one option. Her hand fell to the pouch on her hip, coming back with a piece of smooth wood. "I need you to hold him down," Ino ordered, her eyes locking with the other Jounin's. "If I don't amputate his arm, he's going to bleed out before we can get him to a hospital tent!"

The man drew back at the volume of her voice-unnaturally loud due to her loss of hearing-then nodded his head. "Yes, ma'am."

Ino took a steadying breath, then leaned over her fallen teammate's form to place the wood between his teeth. Even when unconscious, men had been known to bite off their own tongues during an amputation; Ino wasn't taking that chance. Her helper got up and put all of his weight on Chouji's chest, holding the large man to the ground. Ino glanced over at the man and nodded once. Her hand began to glow with a thin rotating coating of green chakra.

Chouji surged upwards as the chakra-scalpel made contact with his flesh. "Hold him!" Ino screamed, pressing forward with the battlefield surgery. The other Jounin pressed down harder on the patient's chest, forcing him back down. The blade of energy bit further into Chouji's shoulder, slicing and cauterizing at the same time. The air filled with a high-pitched whine as the scalpel began slicing through bone as well and Chouji began to yell at the top of his lungs. The next moment, Chouji slumped back down, the tension leaving his muscles. Ino's hand continued its trajectory, severing ligaments and bone as it sliced through what remained of his arm.

Finally, after what had felt like hours, it was done. She sat back on her heels, wiping the sweat from her forehead with her shirt-sleeve. After catching her breath, Ino leaned forward and placed a hand gently on his head, letting her chakra flow freely into his body. It only took a moment for the chakra to rouse the sleeping man, and his eyes fluttered open. "Ino?" he croaked.

Ino stared down at him as his lips moved. "Yes, Chouji, it's me." Her face lit up with a smile. "You did it, you big-lug, you saved everyone."

"Why are you crying?" Ino almost missed these words as her eyes flickered from his lips to his missing arm.

Ino's hand came up and wiped away tears she didn't remember shedding. "You were hurt...I couldn't save your arm...I...I had to...to..."

Chouji's gaze flickered down to what remained of his limb. After a moment, it returned to the blonde kneeling beside him. "I suppose if it wasn't for you, I'd be dead right now. Thank you, Ino."

"Please, never do that again. I thought I'd lost you."

Chouji smiled up at her, "Well, as long as you're here, I'll always have someone to patch me up."

The blonde stared down at Chouji for a long moment, her heart hammering in her chest. On impulse, she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him softly on the lips; she pulled back a moment later, her face blazing.

Chouji, for his part, lay like a bewildered child, his eyes wide in shock. He blinked once, then twice. He finally found his voice, "W-What was that for?"

Ino didn't meet his eyes. "I read a bunch of sappy 'knight in shining armor' stories as a kid," she said, her eyes locked on an unnaturally interesting chunk of mortar on the ground. "You saved my life, and the damsel always gives her rescuer a kiss at the end of the story." Her face burned a brighter shade of red, "Like I said, sappy, I just-"

The Akamichi had somehow managed to get himself into a sitting position even in his injured state. His hand touched her shoulder, cutting her off. "Well, you saved me too, so I suppose that makes me a damsel as well." He leaned forward, pressing his mouth against hers.

It was Ino's turn to gawk. "You are such a dork," she said, nervous laughter bubbling out of her throat.

OoOoOo

"We caught a break," Shikamaru began as they entered the tent, reaching into his pocket to fish out a cigarette. "The Kazekage had a contingent of soldiers in the forest not even a day's travel from the village. Some sort of wilderness survival training."

"Is that right?" Konohamaru asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, if nothing goes wrong they should be here before sundown." He paused as he took a moment to light his cancer-stick. "What's the news from Naruto?"

Konohamaru was standing in the entrance of the tent, only a silhouette against the sunlight filtering through the opening. "He said that he had taken out an enemy commander and an entire company of soldiers."

"I know," Shikamaru answered, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "The company on our southern flank was decimated by a bunch of toads earlier. That's Naruto's work if I've ever seen it. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, there is one more thing I've got to tell you."

Shikamaru turned his back to Konohamaru, shuffling through some papers on his desk. "Well? What is it?"

The dark-haired youth's face split into a feral grin. "Konohamaru's dead!" he cried shrilly, lunging forward with his fist outstretched.

The motion was too fast for the eye to follow, and Konohamaru's fist slammed violently into the back of Shikamaru's head. The Leaf jounin exploded in a cloud of smoke. "Gotcha."

The man's eyes narrowed as he felt his muscles lock into place. "I'm surprised you saw through me, Shikamaru. What gave me away?"

Shikamaru's voice came from behind him. "Konohamaru has known Naruto for over half of his life. Even after he had earned the title of Hokage, I've never heard Konohamaru call him anything that could be considered formal."

"Had known," the man corrected. "He's dead now. You will be too, in just a few seconds." His muscles bulged as he started slowly turning around to face his captor.

Sweat beaded on Shikamaru's forehead as he poured more chakra into his jutsu. "Who are you?" he asked through gritted teeth.

The man that looked like Konohamaru continued to turn until he was facing Shikamaru. He rolled his eyes, shrugging his shoulders effortlessly. "Boy, am I getting tired of answering that question. Call me Flagg."

Realizing that his shadow possession wasn't working, Shikamaru thrust his arm forward, sending a spike of shadow towards Flagg's head. The man's body seemed to blur as he dashed towards Shikamaru, ducking under the tendril and swinging a kunai the Leaf ninja hadn't seen him draw. A shadow snagged the back of Shikamaru's vest, jerking him backwards, but he didn't move fast enough. The steel blade nicked his jugular vein, and he was swept with dizziness as his blood pressure dropped sharply.

Flagg mocked Shikamaru's earlier statement, "Gotcha!" as he watched the Nara fall to his knees, holding a hand over the spewing cut in an attempt to stem the blood-flow. He started towards the kneeling ninja, his footsteps unnaturally loud on the wooden floor. His foot connected harshly with Shikamaru's sternum, knocking him down on his back. "Don't worry, I'll let you get back to bleeding to death in just a second. But before I do," he put his hands on his hips and bent forward to look at the prone man. His grin looked horribly out of place on Konohamaru's face. "Everything you did was for nothing. Everyone in this village is going to die before the sun sets today. Now, I can see you're busy. I'll leave you to it." With that, Shikamaru was alone.

He gritted his teeth, keeping pressure on his throat as blood seeped thickly through his fingers. With his other hand, he dug in the pocket of his vest until he came up with a small piece of paper. The moment he took his hand away from his wound, he slapped the paper over the gash. He did his best to muffle his scream as the incendiary tag ignited with a flash.

OoOoOo

Naruto rocked back and forth, Sakura's body clutched tightly to his chest. His shoulders shook with sobs every few seconds, and a steady flow of tears streamed down his cheeks. He was so blind to the world around him that he didn't notice when Kakashi approached him.

"Naruto?" the silver-haired man asked softly. When he didn't get a reply, Kakashi touched Naruto on the shoulder, making the blond jump violently. "Naruto, it's me, Kakashi!"

The Hokage stared at him, his eyes wild. It wasn't clear whether he was going to attack his visitor or jump up and hug him. "Kakashi?" he croaked. He coughed, realizing just how dry his throat had become.

Kakashi held a water-skin, offering it to Naruto. "Here, drink this."

Naruto slowly reached out and took the water. He took a long drink of the liquid, turning the skin almost vertical while he drained it. He gasped for air as he stopped drinking, handing it back to his former sensei. "Thanks," he murmured, his attention immediately returning to Sakura.

"Naruto. The village is in trouble, they need your help." His one visible eye flickered down to the limp form in Naruto's arms. "It hurts, I know that, but you have to save your grieving for after you save the ones who are still alive."

Naruto's gaze locked with Kakashi's. "Kakashi..I just can't, I..." he took a shaky breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Sakura was everything to me. Without her...I..."

Kakashi squatted down in front of the blond, putting his hands on Naruto's shoulders. "It's hard, I get it. But what about everyone you still have? Shikamaru? Hinata? Lee?" He gently shook the other man. "They need a leader, and if you don't get up and get back out there then all of them will die!"

Naruto slowly began nodding his head. "You're right..." He looked back down at Sakura's unnaturally pale face. Her eyes were closed, but he thought she looked anything but peaceful. "She wouldn't want me to fall to pieces like this." It took all of his willpower to loosen his grip on her body and carefully lower her to the ground. He took Kakashi's proffered hand and let the other ninja help him to his feet.

"Are you ready?"

Naruto's eyes were a frighting shade of crimson when he turned his gaze towards Kakashi. All feelings of grief had transformed into rage the moment he had broken contact with his lost love. "Yeah..." he growled, his features becoming more animalistic. "I don't think I've been more ready for anything in my entire life." When he next spoke, his words were directed at Sakura. "Hold on for just a little while, Sakura, you won't be alone for long."

"She's not alone, Naruto."

The blond turned back to his teacher but there was no sign of the other man. Of course there wasn't.

Kakashi Hatake had been dead for five years.

OoOoOo

Hinata knelt in the dirt in the remains of what had been Konoha's strongest remaining military regiment. On either side of her, men and women were lined up for several dozen meters, kneeling with their fingers laced behind their heads per their captors' instructions; prisoners of war.

The enemy had attacked minutes after Shikamaru had entered his tent with Konohamaru, and their leader had never come back out. Without his direction, the enemy's superior numbers had crushed what meager resistance the ninja could respond with after being caught flat-footed.

Konohamaru blurred into existence nearby, startling the Hyuuga. In his hand was a small piece of grey metal with what appeared to be a wooden handle. He began walking up and down the back of the line, spinning the object around on his finger by a loop on its bottom.

"What have we got here?" he asked in a voice that didn't belong to the young Sarutobi. "Konoha's last hope reduced to a line of beaten mongrels? How sad, I was hoping you would do better than that." He paused, as if expecting a reply, but none of the captive shinobi took his bait. "Nothing to say? No matter, I like the sound of my own voice anyway."

He clucked his tongue, increasing the speed with which he twirled the object. "I've practically won, now. My biggest priority is what to do with my spoils..."

He passed behind Hinata and she felt the hair on the back of her neck stand on end from his proximity alone.

"I'm sure I could find a wealthy man in need of a few concubines; or perhaps a rice field owner in need of cheap labor? What do you lovely folks think?" Again, no one answered. He giggled exuberantly, turning on his heel and walking back up the line towards Hinata. "You know, when you're right, you're right. Selling you or renting you out would be way too much trouble. It'll be easier to just execute you all." He pressed the metal object against the back of the teenaged chuunin's head who was kneeling to Hinata's right. An instant later, his brains splattered the road in front of him as a loud pop almost deafened the dark-haired woman.

Several people cried out in shock. Then the man who looked like Konohamaru once again made that tittering laugh, holding up the thing that had just made a man's head explode. "This, kids, is called a gun. How you idiots had access to gunpowder for so long but never made a gun is quite frankly beyond my comprehension." He stepped through the line of people again, continuing on past Hinata. His arm snapped forward and the gun fired again, this time putting a slug between the eyes of a crying genin who fell backwards into a heap. A jounin, the genin's teacher no doubt, jumped up to rush to the dead girl's side only to suffer the same fate. The man blew smoke away from the barrel of the gun and went back to twirling it on his finger.

"This is getting boring..." his face lit up and his lips turned up in a grin. "How about this, I'll let one of you go. No strings attached, all you have to do is stand up and leave right now. You should know, however, that once you're gone I'm going to pick right back up where I left off," he gestured towards one of the bodies. Several moments passed, until a heavily scarred man with a bandana tied over his skull climbed to his feet. "Ooh, we have a taker!" Konohamaru's look-a-like said in a sing-song voice. "Tell everyone your name so they can know exactly who left them to die."

The man was shaking, his fists clenched tightly at his side. "Ibiki," he spat, not moving his gaze from the ground.

"Ibiki, hm? A name that will forever go down as that of a coward."

The former interrogation officer leaped forward, plunging a poisoned senbon needle into Konohamaru's neck. "A liar? Maybe. A coward?" he growled, "Never."

The dark-haired youth rolled his eyes, slamming his forehead into the older man's face and sending him hobbling backwards. With slow, mechanical precision he raised his gun and put two slugs into Ibiki's chest. "Like no one's ever tried that before!" He snickered, and suddenly his gaze locked on Hinata's. "Ooh, a Hyuuga!" he said loudly, like a child in a candy store. He practically jogged over to her, stopping less than half a meter away, and raising his weapon. "I've never had the pleasure of killing the last member of a ninja clan before. Happy birthday to me!"

Hinata flinched involuntarily as the cold barrel of the gun touched her forehead lightly. Steeling herself, she looked back up at her attacker, staring death in its face with a calmness only a Hyuuga could show. She heard the clicking of the hammer as it drew back. For just a moment, Hinata was sitting on the porch with Kiba, sipping her tea and watching the sunset. She could practically feel Akamaru's head lying in her lap. The dog barked, its ears perking up as a rabbit darted across the yard. For a second there, she thought she had actually heard Akamaru bark but that wasn't possible...

Akamaru exploded out of nowhere, his massive bulk smashing into Konohamaru's body-snatcher and sending him flying. Konohamaru's possessed body hit the ground hard and bounced away, the gun flying from his grip. Akamaru positioned himself between the Hyuuga and the demon, his fur bristling and his lips curled in a vicious snarl.

The man jumped back to his feet, brushing the dirt off of his clothes. "Well, if it isn't Old Yeller!" he said, grinning his predatory smile. "Is Uncle Flagg gonna have to put you down?" He raised one hand, a crimson ball of energy forming in the center of his palm.

Akamaru snarled; steadfastly holding his ground. Hinata climbed to her feet, heedless of the enemy soldiers milling around-they were too entranced by the display of power to notice her anyway-and snagged a fistful of Akamaru's scruff. "Move! Please, sweetie, we have to move!"

In front of them, Flagg had finished charging his attack. "Too late!" He cried shrilly, taking aim.

His attention was broken, however, by a double chorus of, "Seventh Gate: Gate of Wonder, open!"

Flagg turned his attention to his right just as a foot slammed into his unprotected gut and sent him head-over-heels across the street. A blur was right behind him and launched its follow up attack before Flagg had even hit the ground. At the same time, enemy soldiers began to drop dead as a second blur of green shot through the camp. Even with Hinata's enhanced vision, it took her a second to realize that the two blurs were actually Rock Lee and Might Gai.

OoOoOo

Naruto didn't risk another glance at Sakura's corpse, his fingers curled into fists. "Obito."

A portal formed a few meters in front of him, revealing the Uchiha. "Yes, Naruto?"

"I release you from your promise. I'll be taking the honor of sealing that bastard away."

Obito lifted his eyebrows in surprise as he stepped out of the portal. He frowned and shook his head firmly. "No, Naruto, it's my duty to stop him."

"No!" Naruto spat, clearly angry. "That son of a bitch got my wife killed!" His voice was loud, but the quaver in it could easily be heard. "I want to be the one to take him down!"

Obito's expression softened as he approached the younger man, stopping a few steps before him. "I know what it like to loose someone." He took a deep breath and glanced at Sakura's body. "I know how it feels to arrive too late to save the one you love."

Naruto glared at the dark-haired man. "Don't you dare talk to me about loss. If it wasn't for you none of this would have happened! You gave that thing a body to begin with!"

Obito didn't appear to be affected by Naruto's words. "But you have an advantage that I didn't have," he continued smoothly.

"Just what the fuck are you talking about?"

"If Flagg can jump through dimensions then why can't you?" Obito gestured towards Naruto's naval. "With the power and knowledge that the Kyuubi holds, and your knowledge of time-space jutsu, I'm sure you can figure out a way to utilize it. If you do, you could find a world almost exactly like this one. One where Flagg never interfered."

Naruto gritted his teeth. "That doesn't matter! My Sakura's gone, another won't take her place!"

"I know, which is exactly why I didn't even attempt to do so myself. But there's something else you should know." Obito reached into his pocket and pulled out a small journal. "While he was possessing me, Flagg and I conversed quite a bit. One day, he mentioned a contingency plan should he be defeated it this world."

"What exactly was this 'contingency plan?'"

"Flagg has a bit of an ego; he hates losing." The dark-haired man tilted the book side to side. "So he had already planned his next inter-dimension jump should he fail. In this book are some formulas that explain the logistics behind how he plots his next course. It also has a..." he trailed off, searching for the word that he need, "Geographic location isn't the right word, obviously, but its the only one that comes to mind." He snapped his fingers, suddenly excited. "Coordinates! A set of coordinates, that's the phrase I was looking for!"

"So it tells me where he's planning on going next..." Naruto murmured thoughtfully.

"Exactly. We don't have time to figure out how to beat him today, and once he's been sealed accessing him will be impossible. If you catch him in the next world, you could get some real revenge. The bloody kind."

Naruto chewed on his lower lip for a moment, then nodded. "You're right. I don't wanna just seal this thing away. I want to kill it. Let's go, Obito, same plan as before."

OoOoOo

Lee came to a stop beside the shocked Hyuuga. His skin was a deep shade of red and his body was surrounded with a green aura. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice several octaves lower than it normally was.

Hinata nodded, "Yes. I'm fine...Wh-"

A boom filled the air and the two Konoha ninja turned to see Gai and Flagg in a stand-off. Their hands were interlaced and both were straining to push the other back. Flagg grinned, his face relaxing as if he were no longer trying. "That all you got?" He began to push back against Gai, forcing the man backwards as his feet scrambled for purchase.

"You're definitely not Konohamaru..." Gai locked eyes with Lee for the briefest of moments, before taking a deep breath and setting his jaw. "Eight Gate: Gate of Death-"

"No!" Lee screamed, realizing what his teacher was doing. He darted forward, aiming to get at Flagg's unprotected back.

"Open!" The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently as Gai's muscles began to bulge even more under his jumpsuit. His feet found traction, and with a mighty bellow, Gai threw Flagg into the air like a rag doll. Gai launched himself up with such force that a wide crater formed where he had been standing before. He caught up to the defenseless Flagg and began slamming kicks under his chin in the same way the primary lotus was initiated.

Lee had come to a stop, watching slack-jawed as his sensei rose higher into the air with every blow. Before long, the two figures were nothing but specks in an ocean of blue. Gai vanished, reappearing a millisecond later to slam a fist into Flagg's back. He appeared below him, kicking Flagg in the face and knocking him further into the air. For several seconds, Gai continued to pinball Konohamaru's former body through the air.

He snagged him by the collar, stopping the stunned Flagg's momentum, and began to pummel him with flaming fists. "Morning Peacock!" he bellowed, his fists flying even faster than before.

Hinata watched, her eyes wide in terror. She had activated her Byakugan to follow the distant battle, and now she could see exactly what the gained power was doing to Gai's body. More importantly, she could see that none of the attacks seemed to be damaging his opponent. "It's not working, Lee!"

Lee swallowed the lump in his throat. "He isn't finished yet." He ached to help his teacher, but he also knew that if he got involved now he would only be in the way.

"Daytime Tiger!" Gai threw his fist forward, and a gigantic concussive wave pulsed through the air and threw them even further into the sky.

Even several kilometers below the battle, anyone out in the open was knocked down by the pulse of energy. Several buildings collapsed as well, unable to withstand the unrelenting pressure. Only Lee was able to stand against wave, his clothes flapping around him. His steadying hands were the only things that kept Hinata and Akamaru from being flung through the air.

Flagg managed to grin as Gai blurred into existence behind him. "So you do have a bit of bite after all! I'm impressed!"

White strips of fabric shot from inside of Gai's sleeves and wrapped Flagg into a tight cocoon. Gai grabbed Flagg's bundled form and turned them around so that their heads were pointed towards the ground. "I have had enough of your ranting. Time to send you back to where you belong!" They started to spin, soon becoming an indistinguishable vortex of white and green.

As they hurtled back to the ground, they began to burn a bright red. Lee's eyes widened as he realized what Gai was doing. A voice inside his head whispered, _He's counting on you to protect them._ He turned, his gaze flickering across the faces of that Konoha shinobi that were climbing to their feet. "We need a rock wall now!"

A stocky man who had just reclaimed his footing nodded, his hands already forming hand-signs. "Earth Style: Great Earthen Wall!" In front of them, a barrier of rock rose high into the air. It reached its maximum height just as Gai completed his attack.

"Twilight Lotus!" The ground rocked with an earthquake strong enough to make buildings crumble throughout the village. The recently erected wall shook violently as the shock-wave hit, but remained standing. The ground continued to tremor for several seconds as the massive impact sent ripple after ripple of energy through the Earth.

Lee released his hold on the young woman and her dog, darting up and over the wall. Hinata shook her head violently side-to-side, clearing it of the dizziness that had swept through her. She ran after Lee, her feet beating a rapid tempo as she copied his actions. She landed gracefully on the other side, Akamaru landing next to her a moment later. She looked up and gasped in awe.

The glowing youth was standing at the edge of a crater that was fifteen meters wide, staring down at a bottom that he could not see. Even now, a faint rumbling could be felt from the ground as Gai continued his attack. "Sensei..."

"What did he just do?" Hinata whispered as she made her way to Lee's side.

Lee glanced in her direction, his pure white eyes locking with hers. He breathed in deeply through his nose and then out through his mouth, trying to calm his nerves. "The Twilight Lotus," he said softly, shifting his attention back to the crater before him. "It's the ultimate attack of the Eight Gates. He intends to keep going until he pierces the Earth's crust completely and buries himself and that...monster...in magma."

Hinata covered her mouth with one hand and stepped forward to look down the hole. The ground had ceased its shaking and she knew that meant that Gai's attack had stopped as well. "He was brave," she said, reaching out to gently touch the man on his shoulder.

The color drained from Lee's skin as his muscles returned to their original size. His body had reached its limit. He collapsed, falling to his knees and hiding his face in his hands. "He was. Now he's gone." Lee's voice was strained and it was clear he was on the verge of tears.

Akamaru licked the back of his hand, whining.

"Whatever that thing was, Lee, he stopped it."

"I wouldn't go that far."

Hinata and Lee turned around, shock plain on their faces. Flagg was standing behind them, his arms folded casually over his chest.

"How?" Lee asked, glaring at the man before him.

"Let's just say I've got tough skin," he began walking towards them. "That being said, what Bowl-Cut did actually stung a bit. And quite frankly, I've had enough of being hurt for the day." His face set in a scowl, twisting Konohamaru's face into a mask of evil.

Akamaru lunged forward, teeth bared. Flagg back-handed the canine away, knocking him through the air as if the gigantic animal was a feather. He blurred out of existence, appearing in front of Lee. He snagged the ninja by his collar-jerking him up into the air- then pulled his free arm back. "Time to say goodnight!" Hinata could only watch in horror as his fist shot forward like a bolt of lightning.

Then it froze, inches from Lee's face. "Shadow Possession: Success." Hinata turned to see Shikamaru kneeling in a nearby doorway, his hands formed into the rat seal. He stood, letting his arms fall to his sides and forcing Flagg to drop his would-be victim.

Flagg cut his eyes in Shikamaru's direction. "I'm legitamitely surprised that you're still kicking. I could have sworn I nicked an artery."

"Vein, actually," Shikamaru corrected, stepping forward. The skin on his throat was puckered red, evidence of his hasty cauterization. "Had to think fast, but I stopped the bleeding."

"Good show," Flagg admitted, "But I'm afraid you've failed to learn from your past mistakes." Flagg's muscles one again bulged as he poured more energy into them. This time, however, he remained where he was standing despite his struggling. "Well, this is new."

Shikamaru grinned as Lee and Hinata scrambled away from the incapacitated Flagg. "I've got a little help this time."

Hinata scanned the area, only now noticing the multiple members of the Nara clan that had hidden themselves around the area. She had been keeping an eye on the area the entire time, but they had somehow managed to sneak up on them, and every one of them had activated the shadow possession technique. Her attention turned to Akamaru, who was still in a heap nearby. He appeared to have several broken ribs but he was breathing. Cautiously, she made her way over to his side and began to heal him.

"Well isn't that just fan-fucking-tastic." Flagg smirked, seeming to relax, but Shikamaru could still feel him straining against the jutsu. "But tell me, wise-guy. What are you going to do when you run out of chakra? You're sure as hell not going to kill me."

If Shikamaru was concerned, he didn't let it show. "From what I've seen, you can't be killed by any normal means." He smirked, "Luckily for me, our leader is anything but normal."

A streak of yellow shot into the camp, the blond Hokage coming into focus a millisecond later. "I'm sorry I'm late."

The moment they saw him, the surviving ninja erupted into cheering. Their leader was alive, and he was here to stop the monster that called itself Flagg.

"I don't think I've been happier to see someone in my life, Naruto."

Naruto glanced in Shikamaru's direction as the other man spoke. He nodded solemnly, turning his attention to Konohamaru's incapacitated form. He walked forward, every step raising a small cloud of dust around his feet. He came to a stop in front of Flagg. "What have you done with the real Konohamaru?" he asked, his face centimeters from the other man's.

"You're lookin' at him, Naruto," Flagg replied, his grin returning. "His body's just...under new management."

"Let him go."

Flagg chuckled, the sound rumbling from somewhere deep in his chest. "Even if I hadn't killed him, the trauma his body took when that Bowl-Cut was beating the fuck out of it would have been more than sufficient."

Naruto gritted his teeth, his hands clenching at his sides. "Why are you doing this?"

"You know, I've asked myself that question before," Flagg began, his voice flat. "To conquer the world? No. Just to feel powerful? No."

"Then why?" Naruto snapped.

This time Flagg's voice was shrill and filled with barely contained laughter. "Because I like fucking with you, that's why! I wanted to see the look on your face when you lost everything that you held dear. I wanted-" He stopped, seeming to remember something. "Did you find that pink-haired slut's body yet?" Naruto's eyes snapped wide as he said this and his jaw clenched noticeably. "You have, haven't you? Boy, I wish I could have seen that! I damn near cut her head off when I slit her throat; a little bit gory but I think it got the job done, don't you?"

"Oh, no," Hinata whispered, her hand covering her mouth.

"I'm sorry, Naruto."

Shikamaru's voice sounded far away to the blond as he stared at the man who had killed his love.

The first punch connected solidly with Flagg's nose, smashing it flat into his face. Even as the monster's face began to regenerate Naruto's second blow shattered its jaw. The blond started repeatedly slamming his fists into Flagg's face. This went on for well over a minute before he began to lag, his arms falling limply to his sides.

"Oh, come on, Blondie!" Flagg shouted as his features reformed into Konohamaru's familiar face. "Keep at it, I'm sure you'll succeed where Bowl-Cut failed."

Naruto took a deep breath through his nose and let it out through his mouth. "Obito, it's time."

A small portal opened in the center of the group. Obito stepped out of it, "As you wish."

Lee vanished in a blur, moving faster than his injuries should have permitted. He closed the distance between himself and the Uchiha in a fraction of a second. Naruto was faster. He interposed himself between the two, catching Lee's fist in one hand.

"Stop."

The green-clad youth stared at Naruto, clearly surprised. "Naruto... He is a villain! We must stop him!"

"Not anymore, Lee, he's working for us now."

"How are you so sure?" Shikamaru asked from his position to the right of the confrontation.

This time it was Obito who spoke up, "I've sworn myself to Naruto's service with an Oath of Chakra. His will is my will now."

"Obito! Still whoring yourself out to anyone with a little piece of power, I see. Things never change, do they?"

Obito took a breath, clearly gearing up to argue with the captive. "Don't talk to him, Obito. Just start the sealing." Naruto released Rock Lee, motioning for him to step aside. "Hinata, when you are done with Akamaru, can you heal Lee? His muscles are really torn up."

Hinata nodded her head vigorously. "Of course, Naruto."

The last Uchiha pulled an ink-brush and an ink-well from the pouch on his hip. He walked around until he was standing directly in front of Flagg and pulled up his own shirt to reveal his scarred stomach. With practiced ease, he began to paint the Reaper Seal onto his flesh so that it was centered around his naval.

Flagg snickered, but remained motionless. "Looks like someone's been practicing. I'm sure you have a lot of time now that everyone who ever cared for you is dead."

Obito glanced at him but didn't respond as he continued with his work. Once finished with the seal, Obito tossed the now useless brush aside and let his shirttail fall back into place. He formed an X pattern with the first two fingers on either hand and took a deep breath. Next, he interlaced his fingers to form the serpent seal; he then flowed seamlessly into the sign of the boar. The dark-haired man continued on to form the remaining seven hand-signs without a hitch. His hands snaked out, grasping Flagg by the shoulders, and he stepped forward until he was only a few dozen centimeters from the captive demon.

To those standing around, nothing appeared to be happening; but the two figures standing at the center of the group felt the chill as the Grim Reaper himself swooped down on them. Flagg, for his part, began to cackle, his voice high. "Well, shit, if it ain't old tall, pale, and gruesome."

The reaper didn't acknowledge Flagg. In fact, it took no notice of anyone in the area except for Obito. Its skeletal hand reached towards the Uchiha's back, prayer-beads rattling softly around its wrist. The ethereal appendage pierced his abdomen, making the Uchiha grunt deep in his chest. A semi-transparent stream of pale blue energy flowed out from inside of Obito, coming together in a faceless form hovering in front of the reaper.

Now that Obito had paid the price, his soul, it was time for the spirit to uphold its part of the covenant. The hand continued forward, exiting through the seal on Obito's naval and entering into what had been Konohamaru's stomach. It began to pull back, but came to a jerking stop as it met Flagg's resistance.

"I'm not gonna make this easy for you, Frankenstein!" Flagg growled, beads of sweat beginning to form on his face.

Obito gritted his teeth, pouring more chakra into the seal. "Naruto, he's too strong! I need help!"

Naruto rushed to the Uchiha's side, putting his hand on his back and transmitting his chakra to the other man. "You have to fight harder, Obito. You can do it!" He looked over his shoulder at the ninja milling around them. "Anyone who can spare it, we need more chakra! Come help!"

Hinata was busy with Lee, and the half-dozen members of the Nara clan were preoccupied with holding Flagg, but several of the nearby jounin and chuunin sprang into action. They ran over, placing their hands on Obito anywhere they could reach.

Slowly, ever so slowly, the reaper's hand began to move again. Flagg began to make a sound low in his throat, his face contorted with rage as his essence was ripped out of him. "Damn...You..."

A bang echoed through the air, and one of the Nara clan -an older man with graying hair- fell from his perch into the street below. Shikamaru turned his attention to where the sound appeared to have originated and saw a man raising his weapon for a second shot. Despite his knowledge that it was futile, Shikamaru plunged his arm forward and sent a shadow spike towards their assailant. It was too slow, it wasn't going to reach him before he pulled the trigger...

"Human Boulder!" a familiar voice bellowed, followed almost instantaneously by Chouji's massive girth slamming full-force into the man and crushing him into the nearby wall. The sounds of combat erupted around them as more of Flagg's men came out of the wood-work; only to be engaged by the remainder of Chouji's squad.

Despite Chouji's intervention, the man had done his damage. Without the man who had been shot, Flagg had wrestled the upper hand away from them. Shikamaru grimaced as he poured everything he had into the jutsu, once again stopping Flagg's resistance. "Whatever he's doing, Naruto, tell him to make it quick. I've got thirty seconds left, tops!" As he spoke, Shikamaru could feel his strength ebbing away rapidly.

"Finish it, Obito!"

Flagg burst into a mad, cackling laughter. "Do you really think you're beating me? I _live_ in hell! Do you really think I can't get out of the belly of the reaper?"

"I don't know what you're capable of," Naruto growled, locking eyes with Flagg. "But I doubt that even you can get out of this one."

"So be it," Flagg said, sighing. "But just so you know, Naruto, I'll be back to finish the job. You can count on it." The reaper's hand snapped back into its body as the demon stopped its struggles, Flagg's soul gripped firmly in its fingers. Konohamaru's body fell to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Obito colapsed to his knees, blood frothing from his mouth as he hit the ground. His hands came up and gripped his midsection and he doubled over in pain.

Naruto knelt at his side, placing one hand on the man's shoulder. "Thank you, Obito. I won't forget my promise to you."

Obito flashed the briefest of smiles, blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, then closed his eyes. He didn't open them again.

OoOoOoOo

**A.N. And there's chapter three! I hope you enjoyed it. I will be trying to update sometime next month, but promises can not be made. Don't forget to drop me a review. See you next time!**


	4. ACT I Part 4: Shattered

**A.N. So, I know what you're thinking. "He said he didn't have time to recover his lost progress for the foreseeable future." Right? Well, a series of fortunate events have gifted with a chance to work on this for the past two weeks or so. Let's just say that I'm lucky my college composition professor doesn't care what he's reading as long as it's presented in the correct format!**

**I know, I know. It's only about half the length of my regular chapters. Trust me, it's better this way. You'll see why next chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

Chapter 4: Shattered

After Flagg fell to Obito's sealing jutsu, the morale of his army plummeted. This, coupled with the arrival of Gaara and his company of soldiers, allowed the meager remains of Konoha's military and Naruto's clone army to route their invaders.

The sun had begun to set when word reached Naruto that the village had been secured. He was once again kneeling next to Sakura's motionless body, his expression downcast. He clutched one of her ice-cold hands in his own; oblivious to the world around him.

"Naruto Uzumaki," a somber voice spoke from behind him. "You have my sincerest condolences."

Naruto looked over his shoulder, noticing Gaara for the first time. "I appreciate it, but I'd rather be alone right now."

Gaara approached, stopping a few paces from where Naruto knelt. "I understand that, Naruto, but you still have work to do. As Hokage of the Leaf Village, you-"

"What village?" Naruto screamed, dropping Sakura's hand and whirling on the Kazekage. "Civilian casualties at over eighty-five percent and shinobi casualties at just under eighty percent," he continued, his voice hushed and angry. "The Aburame clan was wiped out. The Inuzuka, gone. The Hyuuga, survived only by Hinata."

"Naruto, you-"

"The Yamanaka have fewer than a dozen," Naruto pressed on, his face growing red. "The Akamichi only have three survivors and their clan-head was maimed." Naruto gestured wildly towards the general location of the base camp. "In fact, the only clan left with more than a quarter of their members is the fucking Nara clan! I'll ask you again, what village?"

"Those losses are exactly why your people need you now more than ever. They need a leader. They need you."

Naruto collapsed to his knees, hiding his face in his hands. "Goddammit, Gaara, I don't know what to do!" He shook his head as his mind raced. "This is so fucked up!"

Gaara squatted down in front of him, putting a reassuring hand on his peer's shoulder. "You signed up for this job, Naruto. It's always been your dream, and now you have it." He met Naruto's gaze steadily when the blond looked up at him. "Sad to say, it's not always the joy-filled occupation you imagined as a child. That being said, you can't just walk away now."

Naruto felt a dampness on his cheek, and reached up to wipe away tears he hadn't known he was shedding. He tried to speak, but his voice cracked and nothing came out but a tear-strangled croak. He cleared his throat, and said weakly. "I need to...bury Sakura..." For a moment, he thought he would be sick from the mere thought. He took a deep breath and the feeling passed. "After I do, I need to speak to you. Arrangements need to be made." He looked away and cleared his throat once again. "After that, I'll call a meeting at the remains of the Hokage tower."

For a time, Gaara did not say anything. Finally, he nodded and returned to a standing position. "Very well, Naruto. I shall be awaiting your summons to discuss this predicament." The form of the Kazekage dissolved into sand and was swept away by the wind.

Naruto stooped, picking up the remains of Sasuke's sword from where he had dropped it. He slipped the blade through his belt so that his hands were free. He didn't want to think about what he had to do next.

Sakura's face was unnaturally pale, her ashen lips parted slightly in a crude imitation of the way they did when she slept. Naruto's eyes lingered on the yawning gash on the pinkette's throat. His stomach turned as the memory of her moaning his name while he had kissed that very spot almost twenty-four hours ago, flashed unbidden through his mind. He screwed his eyes shut, trying to force the memory out of his head. Trying to make himself forget that he would never hear her comforting voice again. Trying to make himself forget that she was gone. Trying to forget that it was his fault. A high-pitched whistle filled his head and Naruto opened his eyes.

Sakura's eyelids fluttered, and her fingertips were dancing wildly as her body began to spasm. Naruto looked on in shock as the pink-haired woman's eyes snapped open, revealing milky-green orbs that immediately locked with his blue ones. Sakura twisted over onto her belly, her eyes never leaving his. Fresh blood splattered the ground below her as she lifted herself up onto the palms of her hands, her posture similar to a snake preparing to strike. "Where were you, Naruto?" she asked, her voice a raspy, dehydrated whisper. "We needed you. I needed you." She pulled herself towards him with her arms, her legs dragging in the dirt behind her.

Naruto was too afraid to move. He was only able stare at her as she made her way towards him. "I-I-I tried..." he whispered. "I d-did't know. Please..." He fell to his knees, unable to support his wait on legs that felt like water.

"I thought you loved me, Naruto." She was right next to him now, one blood and dirt coated hand outstretched to stroke his face.

Naruto visibly flinched as her cold flesh made contact with his cheek. He could feel bile rising in the back of his throat. "I did- I do! I'm so s-sorry, S-S-Sakura, I wasn't th-there to save you."

Sakura tilted her head at unnatural angle, the gash on her throat opening wider like a grinning mouth. She blinked slowly, her eyelids sliding easily over her glass-like eyes. "Of course you weren't, Naruto. Then again, you weren't there for anyone else; why should I get special treatment? I mean, I wasn't even the only expectant parent. Look at Kiba over there, he was gonna be a father."

Naruto's gaze flickered over to a nearby building, where the Inuzuka was propping himself up. His face was purple and blood splattered from his bloated lips as he spoke. "Where the hell were you, Naruto?" He walked towards Naruto, waving his arms erratically. "I got to choke to death on my own fucking tongue because you can't do your fucking job!"

"I...I..."

A skinless body stumbled out a nearby shop, white froth flowing from the corner of its lipless mouth. It shuffled towards him, moaning low in its throat.

"What about Tenten?" Sakura asked gesturing towards the shambling corpse. "One minute, she's sharing drinks with her lover, content in the knowledge that her village was secure. The next, she's running through streets flooded with enemy ninja that you failed to keep out because you were too busy fucking me. It's not hard to imagine what happens when a ninja who's drunk off her ass runs into a web of incendiary tags, is it?" Sakura had wrapped both arms around Naruto's neck now, and her musty breath blew directly into Naruto's face. "Because you're too much of a screw-up, I had to put her down like a fucking dog!"

When Naruto managed to look back at the severely burned Tenten, Neji had appeared by her side. The prodigy of the Hyuuga clan's branch family was pulling himself forward by his arms. Dragging behind him in the dirt were the useless stumps of his severed legs.

"Tsk, tsk," Sakura tutted, "They were such a cute couple, too." She pulled herself into his lap, sitting sideways across his legs. She gripped his chin with her hand and forced him to look in another direction. "There's Shino, didn't you make him a promise? Something about stopping the enemy before they reached him?"

The Aburame's piercing eyes, no longer covered by his shades, were staring into Naruto's. But he didn't say anything- or couldn't, as the case was. His severed head was in his own hands as he walked towards Naruto, crimson droplets raining from between his fingers.

More and more people began emerging from the houses, all with grievous injuries. Every one of them stared at him with accusatory eyes, walking ever closer to him.

"You see, hun?" Sakura asked, her gaze boring into his. "You're a failure. But, you know, I still love you. Even if you are the reason I'm dead." She pressed her ice-cold lips against his, forcing her tongue into his mouth.

Naruto screamed, pushing Sakura off of him where she landed in a heap. He climbed to his feet, his stomach doing somersaults as he fought the urge to be sick. He back-pedaled away from the group, his eyes wild.

Sakura's head snapped up, her face twisted into a grin. "Where are you going, dear?" She hauled herself up onto her hands, crawling towards him once again. Her lips parted, and two small, white hands slipped out through the gap, forcing her mouth wider. A loud crack exploded from her overstressed jaw as the bone snapped, separating from its hinge. The corners of her lips stretched tight as her mouth opened unnaturally wide, revealing the horror-show within.

The pale, chubby face of an infant was staring at Naruto from the back of Sakura's throat. It hauled itself forward with its tiny arms, making a sickly squelching noise in the process, until it was hanging half-in and half-out of the pink-haired woman's mouth.

Sakura reached up, snagging the baby under its arms, and drew it the rest of way out. She held it up, her voice echoing with perfect clarity from her ruined mouth. "This is your daddy, Son, why don't you go say hi?" She knelt down, setting the bloated infant gently onto the ground.

One pudgy hand reached for him, its eyes boring into his own. "Da-addy?"

The blond screamed, the sound of it echoing around the village. Naruto's stomach heaved as he turned to run, and he only made it a few steps before vomit spewed from his mouth onto the ground before him. The blond doubled over as his stomach divulged its contents, his ghastly followers temporarily forgotten. Finally, the flow stopped, and Naruto took a rasping breath of air, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

He whirled, turning back towards his assailants, but they were gone. Only Sakura remained, lying in the same place she had been before the episode had begun; completely motionless. Fighting the urge to hyperventilate, Naruto took a deep breath, his lungs expanding to their maximum capacity, before letting it out through clenched teeth. The images of the hallucination still stood vividly in his mind, but he knew that was all they were; hallucinations. He had spent a lot of his spare time in the last few years reading- or skimming, as the case often was- the many medical texts that Sakura kept in their home. Hallucinations were to be expected after a traumatic experience, but...

But it still took him several minutes to work up the courage to pick up Sakura's body. He felt a sinking feeling in his gut as he hooked his arms under her knees and her torso, her cool flesh bringing back the images of a reanimated Sakura's accusations. The way she stared at him with those dead, judgmental eyes, her flat angry tone, the-

No. He wouldn't let his memory of the woman in his arms be corrupted by his waking nightmare. He turned to leave.

Naruto's legs ate up the distance between him and his destination; his eyes were locked straight ahead, oblivious to the world around him. Had any of the invaders still been in the vicinity, killing him would have been a simple matter. As it was, he arrived at the spot without any problems.

A secluded clearing in the Konoha cemetery. Trees grew sparsely around the area, providing shade without cluttering up the burial sites. The plot was of a medium size, with enough space to hold between twenty and thirty graves. However, the area had only one tombstone so far, planted towards the upper middle of the plot.

Naruto stopped in front of it, staring down at the smooth carvings of the letters that formed Kakashi Hatake's name. "Thank you, sensei," he began, tears clouding his vision. "We stopped the invasion. Not everyone was killed. You're the reason, if you hadn't come to me, I-" His voice broke off and, and he had to pause for a few moments while he composed himself. "Thank you," he repeated, "Just...Thank you."

He turned, stooping to gently lower Sakura onto the grass below. He drew the remains of Sasuke's sword, laying it beside her. He straightened up, pulling his shirt over his head as he did so. He dropped the sweat-soaked fabric and removed his wedding band, placing it on top of the shirt.

He rolled his shoulders, the stiff muscles of his back groaning in silent protest. Next, he formed a hand sign, causing a shadow clone to pop into existence. The clone immediately transformed itself into a shovel, which Naruto snatched out of the air before it had a chance to fall to the ground.

Sakura's grave was dug directly below Kakashi's. It took Naruto over an hour before he was confident that the hole would be deep enough. Reaching up over the edge, he grabbed fistfuls of the lush grass and began to haul himself up, his overtaxed muscles voicing their complaints in the process. He was half-way out when the grass he was using as a handhold ripped out of the ground. He overbalanced; pinwheeling his arms, and fell backwards into the freshly dug grave.

He lay on the bottom for a while, staring numbly up at the sky, whose brilliant blue seemed to be mocking him with its clarity. The events of the day didn't seem real.

"What are you doing down there?"

_No...Not again!_

The silhouette of a head peered at Naruto over the edge of the grave, its hair blowing slightly in the breeze. "Come on, Naruto, get out of there," her familiar voice chided.

Every instinct in Naruto's body screamed at him to run, but he instead felt his hand reaching towards the one she had offered in assistance. Their fingers grazed, and Naruto's heart skipped a beat, but the expected chill never came. Her fingers were as warm as they had ever been. _This is strange._ He grasped her hand, and she helped pull him to his feet and then up and out of the grave.

"What are you doing, clumsy? You scared me half to death!"

Sakura's exasperated voice had never sounded so good to his ears. He stared at her slightly flushed face in awe. Her throat, unmarred with a wound of any kind...

"Hello, Earth to Naruto! You in there?" She reached forward, playfully rapping her knuckles on his forehead.

"W-what happened?"

Sakura arched an eyebrow, looking at him skeptically. "You didn't bang your head, did you?" Her voice now tinged with worry. "We came to visit Kakashi. You weren't watching where you were going and you fell into a freshly dug grave."

Naruto blinked, his mind racing. Could it have been a dream? If he had struck his head when he fell, everything else could have been a hallucination. _Do you know what happened, Kurama?_

No answer, of course. That stubborn fox must be in one of his moods again. He grinned at Sakura, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Uh, no. I'm fine, sorry if I scared you."

Sakura shook her head, "Honestly."

Naruto took a step forward and pulled Sakura into a tight hug, his arms squeezing her against her chest.

Sakura squawked; taken off guard by the sudden show of affection. Her arms immediately wrapped around his torso, returning the gesture. "Geez, Naruto, what's-" The pinkette suddenly became aware of the blond's shaking shoulders. "Naruto! What's wrong?"

"I-I don't know," he stammered through his tears, not loosening his grip. "It was a dream, I think. I wasn't fast enough...You died...I..."

Sakura gently extricated herself from his arms. She reached up, pressing one finger to his lips, "Shh, Naruto, it's okay. Everything will be fine, I promise."

His tear-filled eyes met hers. The corners of his mouth slowly turned up in a grin. "I love you." He leaned forward, pressing his mouth against hers.

Sakura broke the kiss, one hand rising to cup her husband's cheek. "I love you too, Naruto. No matter what, I'll always be there for you." She smiled sadly, taking a step back from him. "It's going to be hard, but I have faith in you. You'll succeed, I know you will."

Naruto stared at her, confused. "What-" His vision blurred, Sakura's face going out of focus. He stumbled backwards, his feet slipping on the crumbling edge of the grave, and fell into the darkness.

OoOoOo

Naruto's aching skull drew him back into consciousness. He groaned, sitting up and putting a hand to the back of his head. His fingers came back slick with blood, and he looked down to see the corner of a rock jutting out of the soil, its tip coated in crimson. _A dream..._ He grimaced, rising slowly back to his feet. Moving gingerly, he climbed out of out of the grave and into early nighttime air of Konoha.

Sakura was still where he had left her, the moonlight reflecting softly off of her pale skin. Naruto made his way over to her, his feet shuffling across the dirt. Even his body rejected the idea of what he was doing. How could he be burying his wife?

_Not only your wife. _A nagging voice added from somewhere in the dark corners of his mind.

Naruto dropped to his knees next to Sakura, resting one hand softly on her belly. He had lost more than Sakura when she had died today; he had lost his child as well. His throat constricted, but it seemed that Naruto Uzumaki was out of tears to shed. He limply dropped his hand, his fingers grazing the fabric of her shirt. They skittered over the seam of her pocket, drawing the faint sound of crinkling paper as they passed over it.

Naruto's eyes narrowed, reaching into his wife's pocket and drawing out a folded sheet of paper. He turned it over in his hands, the moonlight revealing the words, "Deliver to Naruto Uzumaki," written in Sakura's elegant script. He swallowed dryly, his shaking fingers carefully unfolding the sheet of paper.

_Naruto,_

_I finally have a moment to myself, so I decided to write you this letter. Sasuke's here, too. I know I've given you hell about hanging around him, but...I'm beginning to think he's changed. He opened up to me and...I don't know, he just seemed sincere. Once we run these bastards out of our village, I'll make sure to invite him over for dinner. What do you think?_

_I'm about to go out with Sasuke and a small group of ninja on a risky assignment. I can't say much here-should this letter be intercepted-but I just wanted a chance to get some things off my chest, should the worst come to pass._

_If by chance I die, I want to tell you how much I love you just one more time. You are my everything, Naruto, the idea of living without you tears at my heart. I want to raise a family with you and grow old together. I want...A happy ending...But I know that might not happen, especially with this damn invasion..._

_These past five years have been the best of my life. My only regret is not telling you how I felt sooner. I love you so much, Naruto, and I know you. You think you have to protect everyone, but no one can do that; not all the time. Those who have died today, and those who will die, passed on knowing that you were going to pull off another amazing victory. We're counting on you, and I know you can do it. You're the strongest man I've ever known._

_One way or another, I'll see you on the other side,_

_-Sakura_

As Naruto stared down at the sheet of paper, his vision blurred. Apparently, he wasn't out of tears just yet. The first one rolled down and dripped from the tip of his nose, splashing down on to the paper and making the ink of her signature run down the page. He jerked the letter to the side to prevent any more damage to his last link to Sakura as tears streamed from his eyes.

It took Naruto several tries before he could finally return to the task that had fallen to him. He knelt, scooping Sakura's lifeless body into his arms, and trudged over to the grave he had just dug for her. He jumped down, landing gracefully at the bottom, and gently lowered her to the ground. He squeezed her hand in his, knowing that it would be the last time he would ever do so, then carefully crossed her arms over her chest. He stood up, averting his gaze as he climbed back out of the grave.

He stood on its edge, formed another shovel out of a shadow clone, and set to work burying his wife. He never looked down at her, his eyes set steadfastly on his sensei's headstone.

After what felt like hours, his job was done. Naruto was alone in the clearing, kneeling at the top of the fresh grave. He formed a seal with one hand, and tapped the ground three times. A small rectangle of solid marble grew out of the soil, its white a sharp contrast to the black of overturned earth. The tip of his pointer finger began to glow as Naruto used his chakra to carefully carve Sakura's name into the stone. Underneath her name, he added the words, 'My Love.'

He climbed to his feet, walking over to where Sasuke's blade lay broken on the grass. The other man's body may have been gone, but Naruto intended to give him a proper burial. He grabbed the sword and walked over to the left-hand side of Sakura's grave, where he repeated the same process of before. He drove the blade into the freshly risen piece of marble, securing in with a seal to prevent its removal. The blond carved the Uchiha's name into stone's surface, adding underneath it, 'My Friend.'

Naruto wiped at his eyes, clearing them of their unshed liquid. Next, he formed a clone and sent it off to find Gaara. It was time to work some things out.

OoOoOo

It had been four days since Flagg and his army had stormed into Konoha and decimated its population. Naruto was standing by himself, staring out at the huge expanse of freshly dug graves that covered what had been the residential district. The buildings had been cleared away to make room for the massive graveyard that was required to house the many losses his village had taken that day.

The air stunk of burned flesh, and the buildings that were still standing had a fine layer of grease coating their walls. His people had all been given proper burials, but the same could not be said for Flagg's army. Huge piles of their bodies had been burned, which produced a heavy black smoke that had blanketed the remains of Konoha for hours. Even now, several days after the last body had been disposed of, the acrid odor could still be detected.

He glanced over at the chuunin that had appeared at his side. "My lord," the young man said, his voice crackling with adolescence, "Everyone has gathered, it is time for your speech."

Naruto nodded, "Understood, Kyo, I shall be there shortly."

The young man seemed surprised that the blond knew his name, but why wouldn't he? After all, he only had a handful of ninja left. He damn well better know their names.

"Yes, sir," the boy said, taking his leave.

Naruto took a deep, calming breath. He had prepared himself for what he was about to tell his people, having gone over it a hundred times in his mind. That didn't make it any easier, though. The truth was going to be a hard pill for many of them to swallow, but he and Gaara had both agreed that it was for the best.

He just prayed that the others would see it that way.

OoOoOo

The whole crowd of chattering people came to a complete silence as Naruto approached the podium at the base of the Hokage tower's rubble. When he spoke, his voice didn't rise above a speaking level, but it carried easily across the still air before him. "We have suffered a terrible tragedy," he began, his gaze sweeping the group of people before him. "We lost many good men and women, both soldier and civilian alike. All of you fought hard, and you should be proud of that."

A few scattered ninja cheered at this, acknowledging their fallen brothers.

Naruto waited for silence before he resumed his speech. "I have been in deliberations with the Sand's Kazekage for several days now."

He briefly locked gazes with Shikamaru, whose face was solemn and drawn. He too had been told of Naruto's solution. He hadn't approved, but had agreed after Naruto's insistence that it was the only real option.

The blond took a deep breath; in through his nose and out through his mouth. "With the losses that we took during the invasion, it has become impossible to maintain a stable shinobi village. The threat of attack would be far too high." Several people had begun to voice their objections, but Naruto spoke louder, cutting through them. "It is because of this, that I formally disband the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

The outcry was explosive. Everyone in the crowd below him was shouting at once, trying to give voice to their objections. Naruto stood before them, his face downcast, accepting their harsh words. They deserved to be angry.

It wasn't Naruto's voice that cut through the chaos. "Silence!" Shikamaru shouted, his chakra-enhanced voice overpowering the others.

Taking advantage of the break in noise, Naruto picked back up on his speech. "I understand that this is the last thing you want to hear, but-"

"Damn right, asshole!" a man screamed from somewhere within the crowd.

"...but I believe that the best way for the will of fire to live on is for our people to survive. As long as one of us lives, it doesn't matter where they are, that inner-fire will continue to burn." He paused, but no one else decided to interrupt him. "The Kazekage has agreed to give immediate citizenship to anyone who returns to the Sand with him. Otherwise, you are welcome to move wherever you wish to live."

"You traitor!" a woman called from somewhere near the front of the crowd. She was just the first of many insults that were being thrown towards the Leaf's sixth Hokage.

Naruto cleared his throat. "That being said, I am calling an evacuation of Konoha. Everyone is to be gone by night fall."

The voices rose in volume at Naruto's announcement, several members of the crowd beginning to advance towards the stage. The crowd was beginning to morph into a mob.

All of them came to a sudden, grinding halt. Naruto looked over at Shikamaru once again, his eyes filled with pain. The Nara, and what remained of his clan, were all forming the rat seal, forcing the people to fall under their control. Naruto had hoped that such measures would not have been necessary, but it was clear that he was wrong, just as Shikamaru had warned.

Naruto took a shuddering breath. "I'm so sorry that things worked out the way that they did." Without another word, he left the stage.

OoOoOo

After the people had enough time to calm down, the majority of remaining ninja were able to see the reason in their now ex-Hokage's words. It was unfortunate, but the truth in his words could not be denied. With Naruto's resignation, most of them then turned to Shikamaru on how to proceed. Shikamaru, with the help of the surviving members of team nine, then led the survivors out and towards the outskirts of the village.

Naruto watched this from his vantage point at the top of a building, his expression pained. He had not only abandoned his people, but he had kicked them out of their homes. He felt awful, but if the notes in Flagg's book were accurate, staying here wouldn't be in anyone's best interest.

He sat down, crossing his legs letting his hands rest on knees. His eyes drifted closed, blocking out the high-noon glare cast by the sun. His awareness stretched, searching for any chakra signatures remaining in the village. When he was satisfied that Shikamaru had safely removed all civilians and ninja from the area, Naruto formed a hand sign, activating the seals he had spent the last several days constructing.

The air around the leaf village's border shimmered as a seal placed at each corner sprung into life. It was a complicated bit of work, but Naruto had managed to construct a self-sustaining chakra barrier that would serve the purpose of keeping out any unwanted visitors. Anyone who came upon it would simply be unable to walk further, as if they had struck a glass wall.

Naruto stood, his back popping from the several hours he had spent in that position. He reached into his vest pocket, retrieving the leather bound book that held Randall Flagg's notes on inter-dimensional travel. He flipped it open, his eyes scanning the pages for what felt like the hundredth time that day. _Do you really think this will work, Kurama. Can we do this?_

The demon was silent for several moments, and when it answered, its voice didn't carry the usual over-confidence Naruto was used to hearing. _Is it possible? Yes, I don't see why not. __It's time consuming, but i__t's not too hard of a concept if you have enough energy to power it, which you do. _There was another long pause, where Kurama was clearly choosing his next words carefully. _But you must ask yourself whether or not it's worth the risk._

_What do you mean?_ Naruto asked, picking at string that was fraying from the collar of his shirt.

_Well, I'm concerned about what will happen if two of you or two of me existed on the same plane. Several possibilities exist, not the least of which being that we would be ripped apart upon causing the paradox. _Naruto had never heard the demon sound concerned, but he definitely detected a hint of the emotion in its voice. _We may simply merge with our counterparts. It's also feasible that nothing will happen, that we are different enough from our other selves that no paradox exists. But there's also the possibility that we could destroy the equilibrium of the universe by adding two variables that weren't meant to be there. We could even destroy that realm altogether._

Naruto was quiet for a long time. When he spoke, it was out loud. "Consider our options, Kurama." He shook his head, a sad smile curling the corner of his lips. "If we don't stop Flagg, they would be doomed anyway. At least this way, we have a _chance_ to stop him." Naruto's gaze darted over to the retreating form of the surviving villagers. "No, this is our only shot. We have to take it."

Kurama didn't argue.

OoOoOo

The sun had long since set when Naruto finally stepped up onto the porch of the house he had shared with Sakura for the last few years. The door opened with a click, a seal stamped into its surface recognizing his chakra signature, and swung inward silently. The blond stepped over the threshold, the floorboards creaking quietly. "I'm home," he called, knowing that no one would hear him.

The light in the kitchen was still burning. He walked into the room, squinting against the glare of the bulb. Two mugs sat in the sink, the remnants of their morning tea. Both were practically full, testament to just how much they were rushing to get out the door. He left the kitchen, his feet shuffling slowly across the hardwood floor, and made his way into the bedroom.

It too showed the signs of a rushed morning. Two pairs of pajamas were piled haphazardly on the unmade bed. The towel Sakura had used after her shower lay in a heap just outside the bathroom entrance. As he trudged over to his bed, Naruto pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it to the side, heedless of where it landed, and collapsed bonelessly onto the mattress, intent on regaining some of the energy he had lost.

He lay there for a while, but slumber was not forthcoming. Something was keeping him awake, and it took him several minutes to figure out exactly what it was. He could smell her. Sakura had slept in this bed for years, and the mattress had become imbued with her scent. He inhaled deeply, the fragrance bringing back a flood of memories that assaulted his mind. He snatched up her pillow and hugged it to his chest, the thick scent of her favorite shampoo dominating his senses.

He rolled over, and drifted into a fitful sleep.

OoOoOo

**Yeah...I really tapped into my inner Stephen King for this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Don't worry, chapter five those that follow it will be back up to 10k words. **

**R&R! You don't know how much I love hearing your feedback. No lie, it really makes my day when I see a new review pop up for this story. (_Psst...This is my way of fishing for reviews. Is it working?)_**


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